Loki's Pranks
by I'vebeenLOKI'Dyetagain
Summary: A bored Loki is a dangerous Loki. (A story about Loki and Thor's lives as children in Asgard, approximately the equivalent of ten and twelve years old. Fluff, humor, and a bit of sadness.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: In this story Loki would be around 10 in human ages, and Thor would be around 12. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or anything! (Though I wish I did) **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy:) **

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Loki was slouched down in his chair, bored out of his mind.

But he could never sit idly for long. His eyes flicked around the room, looking for some form of entertainment.

He saw it a few tables away: a group of guards still eating their breakfast.

"Thor, watch this!" he whispered, grinning mischievously.

Thor looked up from his plate, the fork heaping with food paused halfway to his mouth. His brow creased worriedly.

"You can keep eating," Loki said, rolling his eyes, "Just watch."

And with that Loki went strangely still.

"Loki?" Thor asked, confused.

Loki didn't answer, so Thor poked him. Only to find that his hand went right through. Thor was about to freak out, when a few tables away a pitcher of ale poured over one of the guards heads. He jumped up and spun around to see who had done it, only to fall on his face. He tried to get up again but his shoes were stuck firmly together.

Cursing, he tried to pull them apart, but they wouldn't budge. He tugged harder and harder but still nothing happened. Finally he was pulling with all his strength.

Then all of sudden, they slipped right off his feet and he hit himself in the face with them.

At this point, Loki couldn't hold in his laughter any longer, and as he snickered his control on his spells wavered.

The Loki who was sitting in the chair next to Thor flickered then faded away, and the real Loki appeared next to the table.

"YOU!" The guard roared.

"Uh oh..." Loki said, sobering up immediately.

Furious, the guard threw himself at Loki, who waited till the last second before ducking out of the way, and the guard crashed into a couple of the guards who were sitting nearby. Immediately all of the guards got up and attempted to tackle Loki. Except it didn't quite work that way.

Thor watched the chaos unfold. He had already given up trying to keep himself from laughing. He knew he shouldn't be amused, but he couldn't help it. Loki was always so good at making the guards look like idiots.

Loki was also standing to the side, smirking at everyone's foolishness. They'd meant to fight him, yes, but all he had to do was dodge their blows, and they would end up fighting each other instead, and he could watch without being noticed.

It was one of the advantages to being a shadow.

"ENOUGH!" Odin yelled, his voice thundering through the room.

The guards halted, some still in mid-swing. They glanced around, and noticing Loki was on the other side of the room, they realized they had been made a fool of. Which of course, made them even angrier.

"Loki, you are to go to your room and stay there," He said authoritatively. "I will be talking with you later."

Loki nodded meekly, pretending to be upset by this news. He dragged his feet as he walked out of the hall, head down so nobody could see his grin.

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**A/N: When I started it I intended it to be a oneshot, but I'm thinking I might continue it. Please review and let me know what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I'm officially continuing this story:) I was actually going to wait till after midnight to post this next chapter so I could say Happy Halloween... but I decided I didn't feel like waiting three hours XD**

**anonymous: Thank you so much for reviewing, and being the first to review my story! ^-^ I was originally planning on glossing over the conversation between Odin and Loki, in fact it probably wouldn't have been there at all if you hadn't reviewed... so thanks again!  
**

******Once again, I (unfortunately) own nothing! Anyway, **I hope you all enjoy the chapter:)  


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Loki could feel Odin coming even before he heard his angry footfalls. The King had a very strong presence, and when he entered the room it was nearly suffocating.

"How many times have I told you not to cause trouble, especially during meal times?" Odin began angrily.

"Six hundred seventy-eight thousand nine hundred thirty-four." Loki answered immediately.

Odin glared down at him.

"I'm sorry, was that supposed to be a rhetorical question?" Loki asked innocently.

"Loki, you need to stop this mischief. It is unacceptable from a Prince of Asgard. You can't be going around and make the guards look like idiots all the time!"

"But they _are _idiots, father," Loki replied.

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK BACK TO YOUR KING!" Odin yelled furiously.

Loki raised his eyebrows and hugged his knees closer to his chest, hoping his face showed a convincing amount of fear.

"You are constantly causing trouble, and I have to clean up your messes," Odin said, "You need to learn to behave yourself lad! Your tricks may seem harmless now, but they will do you ill. I cannot hand over my throne to somebody who does not think about what his childish actions will cause."

Loki internally seethed at how blind Odin was. Thor was the one who aspired to the throne, and Thor was the one who got angry and lashed out without thinking.

Loki was very meticulous in his tricks.

But he just dug his nails into his the palms of his hands till they bled, in order to bring tears to his eyes. He kept his head down until he could feel the tears running down his cheeks, then he looked up at Odin with his large green eyes, with the expression he knew got Odin every single time.

Odin sighed, his gaze softening slightly.

"I-I'm sorry father," Loki mumbled, "I was just so _bored._"

"Surely you can behave yourself until you're excused from the table," Odin said exasperatedly.

Loki's shoulders began shaking, from what Odin supposed were sobs.

"Nevertheless," the Allfather said, "you're behavior this morning was unacceptable, and your are to be grounded to your room for the next three days, in order that you should think on your actions."

Loki's breath caught, and Odin turned and walked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him. Loki heard the lock click.

As soon as he was sure his father was out of earshot, Loki collapsed on the bed in a fit of angry giggles. Odin didn't understand _anything. _Locking Loki in his room for three days, the boy who can't even stand to sit at the table for a few minutes without needing to come up with some sort of prank in order to keep his mind from going crazy? Does that really sound like a good idea? Odin was just asking for trouble.

Loki didn't have a problem with being grounded to his room, since he had all his magic books hidden in various places where nobody but him would find them.

His father had said to think about his actions, and so Loki did.

He went over the whole thing in his mind, pinpointing the all things he did right and the things he did wrong, so he would not make the same mistakes again.

He would need to work on keeping focus of his spells and not laughing. And he should probably have used a levitation spell so he could dump the ale on the guards head from his seat beside Thor. But he had been so tired of sitting down at the table, and he always got a thrill when walking around invisible. Not that it made much of a difference, since people hardly noticed him anyway. But it was still fun, and it was useful for not getting blamed.

But he got blamed for almost everything that went wrong anyway, even though it wasn't always his fault.

Just most of the time.

Loki sprang up and got out his books, lying down on is bed and beginning to study. He should be able to greatly improve his skills in three days with hardly any interruptions. And nobody would be able to blame him, because he was stuck in his room. A devilish smirk began to creep its way across Loki's face. This _would _be fun.

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**Please review and tell me what you think! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, technically it's Sunday... woops. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and alerted this story! I hope you all enjoy:) **

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Thor ran up to Odin as he walked back into the dining hall.

"Father!" Thor called, as Odin turned to look at him. "Are you done talking to Loki? Where is he?"

"He is locked in his room, and he shall remain there for three days." the King said.

"_What?" _Thor asked, eyes wide and pleading. "But I wanted to go to the training field with him!"

"You're going to have to wait, I'm afraid. Besides, you don't need Loki to go to the training field."

Thor pouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "But it's more _fun _when Loki's there," he complained.

Odin sighed, turning to look at his elder son. "Listen," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "What Loki did this morning was unacceptable, and he must learn to repent his actions and not cause trouble. There are rules, Thor. And Loki broke them."

"Really?" A voice breathed in Thor's ear, "I don't remember there ever being a rule against starting fights in the dining hall, since they seem to break out at every feast."

Thor yelped, jumping and turning around.

"What is it?" Odin asked, concerned.

"I'm not here," Loki whispered to Thor urgently.

"Uhh..." Thor said, trying desperately to think of something to say.

"It was just a moth tickling your neck," Loki murmured helpfully.

"Thor?" the Allfather demanded.

"It was just a moth," Thor said quickly, "It tickled my neck."

Odin narrowed his eyes at Thor's guilty face.

"At least _try _to look innocent will you?" Loki said exasperatedly. "Pretend it was my fault, not yours."

"But it _was_ your fault," Thor said, turning his head to look at where his brother wasn't.

"Shh!" Loki hissed, "I'm not here, remember?"

"If you're not here then why are you talking to me?" Thor said, bemused.

"Who's talking to you?" Odin asked suspiciously.

"Nobody!" Thor yelped, as Loki elbowed him in the ribs.

"You mean Loki?" the Allfather said. Except it wasn't a question.

Loki started to back away, hoping to slip out of the room, when he accidentally tripped on a discarded mug and fell with a thump, startling Loki's concentration and causing him to reappear.

Odin was there in seconds, grabbing him and hauling him to his feet.

"Good going, Thor," Loki said sarcastically.

"How did you get out?" Odin demanded.

Loki just stared at him. "You forgot to lock the door," he said.

The Allfather frowned. He could have sworn he had locked it.

"Can Loki come with me to the training field? Please?" Thor said excitedly.

"What? No!" Odin said. "Loki is still grounded."

"He doesn't look grounded," Thor remarked. "Please can he come with me? _Please?" _

"What do you mean I don't look like I'm grounded? Can't you see father is mad at me, Thor?"

"NO!" Odin yelled.

"Oh, so you're not mad at me?" Loki asked, raising his dark eyebrows.

"See, Father's not mad at you! Now come on, we're going to the training field." Thor started to tug Loki away with him.

"BOTH OF YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" Odin roared.

"I told you he was mad at me," Loki said.

Odin took deep breaths, saying "I am sufficiently angered with the two of you. Both of you are to return to your rooms. Guards!"

A group of guards came running into the room.

"Escort Thor and Loki to their rooms, and make sure you _lock the doors." _

"Well now Thor, you've gotten yourself grounded as well. Congratulations!" With that Loki held up his hand, and Thor gave him a high-five. They both grinned.

"Enough!" Odin growled. "Go now,"

The guards nodded, and forming a small group around the two young boys, started out the doors.

Only to run smack dab into a wall.

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**This chapter was slightly pointless, sorry about that. I just love having them annoy Odin, whom I absolutely loathe and think he's evil. I'm trying not to make him too bad in this story though... anyways, things should pick up soon:) I'm not quite sure where I want this to go, so feel free to give me suggestions!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and/or alerted this story! It makes me so ridiculously happy:D  
**

**This story will be updated Tuesday and Saturday nights:)  
**

**I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter, 'cause I know I certainly enjoyed writing it^.^**

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Thor's face was one of pure confusion, and Loki's mirrored it.

"LOKI!" Odin roared.

"It wasn't I, father"

"Don't lie to me, lad! Who else could have magicked a wall where there wasn't one before?" He yelled angrily. "Now fix it!"

"But father, you are truly mistaken. There's always been a wall there. It is not my fault the guards tried to leave through a doorway that does not exist."

"What do you mean there's always been a wall there?!"

Loki smirked. "Are you telling me that the King does not know his own castle?"

Odin barely had time to ponder this however, as Loki nudged Thor, who had finally realized what was going on, and together they broke out of now disassembled assemblage of guards, and ran right out the doors. Which happened to be on the other side of the room.

Odin stood there stunned for a second, before roaring "GUARDS!"

The guards flinched at the volume of his voice, and promptly rushed out of the hall after the two young princes.

Loki and Thor ran through the halls, giggling.

"Catch them!" A guard yelled, pointing.

"Nah nah nah nah nah!" Thor called, sticking his tongue out at them.

"This way brother," Loki hissed, dragging Thor to their right and up the stairs. They ran along the corridor till they came in sight of an open window.

"Do you trust me Thor?" Loki asked, panting slightly.

"Of course I trust you!" Thor answered.

"Good. Then don't slow down."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Thor asked, though he

"Oh, it's a bad idea" Loki assured him. "Like the time we climbed to the roof, remember?"

Thor nodded, understanding dawning on his face.

Loki grinned, and taking hold of his brother's hand, together they jumped out the window.

The guards didn't hesitate a moment in jumping after them. Falling through the air for several long seconds, the guards then hit the ground, rolling to soften the impact. They leaped back to their feet, ready to resume chase.

Except Loki and Thor were nowhere in sight.

Hearing snickering above them, they turned to look, and saw the two princes sitting on the head of a gargoyle, just below the window.

Loki and Thor waved to them brightly, before turning and climbing back through the window.

They could hear the guards screaming in fury as they ran back through the halls, stumbling slightly from their laughter.

"That... was awesome..." Thor said breathlessly. "Their expressions..."

"Priceless right?" Loki grinned.

Forgetting to look where they were going, they turned a corner and ran straight into something.

They fell backwards, ending up sprawled on the ground and looking up at an extremely murderous-looking Odin.

"...I think father wins the award for priceless facial expressions." Loki said.

Thor just nodded in agreement.

* * *

"YOU ARE BOTH GROUNDED!" The Allfather yelled.

"But we were already grounded," Thor pointed out.

"For a _month." _

"Do you mean a month including the three days I was grounded previously, or a month plus the three days?" Loki asked.

"Does it matter?" Odin snapped.

"Not really. Except that you're the King, and should therefore be clear in your orders. Otherwise they might not be carried out as you intended, yes?"

"You're grounded for exactly a month," Odin said.

"A thirty day month, or a thirty-one day month? Or a twenty-eight day month?"

"Till the next month!"

"Oh." Loki considered for a moment. "Today is the sixth, so that would make it twenty-four days, correct?"

Odin didn't answer, finally just pointing his finger toward the direction of their rooms.

"Go." he ordered.

"Wait, are we allowed to come to meals, or will we be provided sustenance in our chambers?" Thor asked, concerned.

"Your meals will be brought to you," Odin said.

"Are we allowed to go to the training field?"

"And the library?" Loki added.

"No."

"WHAT? But we won't be able to practice our battle skills!" Thor protested.

"And we won't be able to study our lessons!" Loki said, before pausing. "We will still be going to all our classes, will we not? Or are you going to inhibit your sons' education simply because you're angry?"

"You will still be attending all your lessons, but as soon as they are over you will be confined to your chambers."

"'Lessons' meaning fighting instruction as well, right?" Thor asked hopefully.

"Yes," Odin said, "NOW BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND START WALKING OR I WILL FORCE YOU TO!"

Loki raised his hands in mock surrender, and he and Thor started walking.

"Now look what you got us into," Thor muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Oh? It's as much your fault as it is mine," Loki shot back.

"It was your idea."

"But you willingly participated. Besides, you're the one who got me caught in the first place."

"In the second place. You getting caught at breakfast was your own fault."

"True. But you got yourself tangled up in it later."

"That's what brothers are for," Thor said, the corners of his mouth quirking.

"I love you too, bro." Loki smiled. He winked at Thor before Odin forced them into their rooms.

This time the Allfather made absolutely sure he locked the doors.

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**Not that it will do much if Loki has a mind to get out... ehehehe:) And yes, Asgard has gargoyles!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aww thanks for all the reviews, faves and alerts! I can not thank you enough ^.^ You guys ROCK:D **

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As soon as Odin's footsteps faded away, Thor heard a knocking on the wall.

"Must you always be so polite?" he said, grinning as Loki appeared out of nowhere. Loki always knocked, even when he used his magic instead of the door.

"Must you always be so rude?" Loki shot back. It always bothered him how Thor would barge into his room without knocking.

Thor just laughed, ruffling his little brother's black hair.

"So what's the plan?" Thor asked.

Loki's eyes glinted mischievously. "The plan," he said, pausing for dramatic effect, "Is that we clean your room."

"We WHAT?!"

"We clean your room," Loki stated again, smirking at Thor's shocked expression. "It's an absolute _mess_ in here!"

Loki gestured to the cluttered space. There were clothes spilling out of his dresser and covering the floor, his bed, with its crumpled red sheets, was unmade, and training weapons were scattered across every surface.

"It is not," Thor said defensively.

Loki raised a delicate eyebrow.

"My chambers do _not_ need to be cleaned," Thor growled.

"Oh come on, I'll help you!" Loki said cheerfully.

Thor was about to say something else, but his protests died at the smile on his little brother's face.

* * *

Surveying the room, Loki was quite pleased with himself. Thor's chambers were clean, and he'd managed to have a some fun while they were at it. Loki grinned, remembering Thor's face when he'd finished making his bed, only to turn around and find a couple pairs of his training armor having a mock battle with some wooden swords. Thor had yelled and, grabbing another weapon, thrown himself into the thick of the clothing fight, quickly slashing the garments to the ground. Satisfied, he'd turned away, only to have one of the swords whack him in the head.

When Loki had finally finished managed to quit laughing, he had helped an upset Thor fold the clothes and put them away. Thor had kept eying the weapons as if they might attack him again.

"That was not so bad, was it brother?" Loki asked, as Thor slumped down in his chair.

"You made my possessions rebel against me!" Thor said, still hurt.

Loki snickered. "But that was the best part!"

Thor tried to keep glaring at him, but his face cracked into a smile. "I'm afraid the armor didn't provide much of a challenge to defeat, however."

"Ha, it would take more then a couple tunics to beat my big brother." Loki said, smirking. That got a pleased laugh out of Thor.

"Does father know how adept you are at magic, Loki?" Thor asked thoughtfully.

"No."

"You should show him!"

"If I did then what?" Loki said, "You know how he is. He'd have a spell placed on my room so I couldn't get out, and then you would be bored out of your mind with nobody to help you clean your room."

"True enough," Thor admitted. "I would be dreadfully bored without you."

Loki beamed. "The feeling is mutual."

Thor then watched as his brother's face turned thoughtful as he considered something, transforming into the curious need-to-know expression that was so common for him.

"You know though, it might be interesting to see if I could figure out how to break a blocking spell like that if he ever decides he does need to place one on my room... it couldn't be that difficult to remove. That might actually be worth looking into." Loki continued. "I'll be right back."

And with that he disappeared.

Thor sighed, stretching out on his bed. Who knew how long Loki would take. That boy got distracted so easily.

Thor lay there for a few minutes, then he got up and grabbed one of his many swords, swinging it around expertly. Thor was as advanced in fighting and weaponry as Loki was in his magic. He could already hold his own against many of the older students.

He began practicing his swordsmanship, grinning as he hacked and sliced away at imaginary foes. Thor was so immersed in his battle with the air that at first he didn't noticed the noises coming from Loki's room. It wasn't until there was a huge crash and the sound of shattering glass that he stopped, alarmed. "Loki?" he asked, walking over to the wall that separated their rooms and knocking on it loudly with his fist.

There was another large crash, followed by a surprised yelp.

"Loki!" He shouted, terrified, banging against the wall. "What's going on? Brother! LOKI ANSWER ME!"

And then the wall exploded.

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**Cliffhanger time! Ehehehehe!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you guys so much for all your support! I love you all ^.^ **

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Thor was blasted backwards and crashed into the opposite wall. He quickly pushed himself out of the debris and leaped to his feet.

"I WILL SAVE YOU BROTHER!" He yelled, charging into Loki's chambers. His blue eyes darted over the room, widening at the destruction. Part of the roof had collapsed, and for some reason hail was raining through the gaping hole, bouncing off the rubble and joining the fragments of glass from the shattered window that covered the floor. The dresser was being consumed by crackling flames that turned green where they licked what was left of the ceiling, and the air was choked with dust and smoke. A black liquid was splattered across the walls, trickling down onto all of Loki's possessions as they lay there broken and ruined, and the bed was completely missing. Loki was nowhere to be found.

"BROTHER!" Thor screamed. He was panicking now, out of his mind with fright.

"Right here, Thor."

Thor whirled around, to find Loki grinning and brushing the dust off his clothing.

"That had more backlash than I expected," Loki said thoughtfully, wiping a trickle of blood from his forehead. He leaned down and pulled a large leather-bound book from the rubble.

"Loki!" Thor said with relief, rushing over and engulfing his little brother in a rib-crushing hug.

"Thor..." Loki gasped, "I can't... breathe..."

His older brother let him go, and he stumbled, coughing.

"Are you hurt? What happened here? What vile creature wreaked such destruction on your chambers?" Thor asked, his hand on the hilt of his weapon.

Loki laughed gleefully. "Do not worry brother. I just got a bit carried away with some spells. Did you see that explosion? It was epic!"

"_You _did this?" Thor's said, his blue eyes widening.

Loki grinned at him with an expression that might have been considered terrifying. "I didn't _intend_ to destroy my room, but while I was looking for that spell I told you about, I couldn't help but try out some of the other ones I came across. You know, I never actually did find that spell..." he trailed off.

"Wait, so you ruined your chambers right after making me clean mine?!" Thor said, aghast. "Not fair!"

"Don't worry, I'm going to fix it. In fact, I should probably do that now, before father—"

"LOKIIIIIIIIIII!"

Loki froze.

"Too late," Thor said, wincing at the King's roar.

"Quick," Loki hissed, "Distract him for me!"

"What?" Thor asked incredulously.

"If you distract him I promise I will never destroy another room without inviting you, okay?"

Before Thor could consider this however, Odin burst into the room, followed closely by Frigga. Loki just barely had time to hide the magic book.

"Oh my darlings, I'm so glad you're alright!" The Queen exclaimed, rushing over and hugging her two sons.

"What is the meaning of this?" Odin demanded. He gave Loki his one-eyed glared, where even the eye patch managed to look disapproving.

"I was practicing my magic," Loki said, trying to tone down his smile and failing.

"Loki honey, don't scare us like that!" Frigga said sternly, though her eyes were proud. "Next time you're going to do something like this, make sure you _tell _me, got it?"

Loki nodded.

"What? You're encouraging him?" Odin said, aghast.

"Of course," Frigga said, standing up and glaring at Odin, her hands on her hips.

"HE THREW HIS BED OUT THE WINDOW AND IT LANDED ON THE GUARDS' HEADS!"

"Good shot!" Thor grinned, giving Loki a high-five.

"IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!" Odin bellowed angrily.

"But father, how was I to know that you had stationed some guards beneath my window just in case I tried to escape that way?" Loki asked.

The Allfather was about to yell something else, when Frigga put her hand on his shoulder.

"No more screaming," she said, "You don't want to hurt your voice."

"Or our ears," Loki whispered, too quietly for anyone but Thor to hear.

Odin seethed. "Now I'm going to have to get his room fixed just because he wanted to practice his tricks!"

"No need, father," Loki said brightly, "I can fix it. It might take me a little while to master the spells, but it's definitely doable. I should be able to avoid having to share a room with Thor tonight."

"There is no way you are sleeping in my chambers," Thor said, glaring at him. "You talk in your sleep."

"At least I don't snore," Loki shot back, "Unlike somebody I could mention..."

Thor tackled him.

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**I apologize for the awkward stopping point, but I'm sort of exhausted right now. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Reviewers get a hug from 10 year old Loki:D  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Technically it's Sunday again... woops...  
**

**Anyway thank you all so much! You guys rock:D **

**Now behold, randomness and brotherly fluff!  
**

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"STOP IT THIS INSTANT!" Odin yelled.

The two princes froze mid-scuffle, Thor holding Loki in a headlock, his hand in the middle of ruffling Loki's hair.

"Now listen," the King began.

Loki took that moment to knock Thor's feet out from under him, and he tumbled to the floor.

"THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH OF THAT!" the Allfather shouted, striding over and separating the two boys, holding them by their collars the way a cat holds their kittens by the scruff of the neck.

"Odin," Frigga scolded, "You must use your inside voice, remember? And do put our sons down."

"Meow," Loki agreed.

The Allfather growled, setting his sons back on the ground. "Now you two better pay attention, or else there _will _be consequences."

"Have there not been? You grounded us to our rooms for a month!" Thor protested.

"There will be _severe _consequences." Odin said, glaring at them. "For now, Loki, you will fix this mess before tonight, or you will be sleeping in the stables. Do you understand?"

Loki started purring.

The Allfather frowned at him, before turning his elder son. "And you, Thor, will be doing your homework in the library. Under supervision."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Thor shouted, as the sky darkened slightly.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in another part of Asgard..._

A couple Asgardians looked up as a distant clap of thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Looks like the prince is having another temper tantrum," one remarked.

The other clutched their cloak tighter around them, just as it started to pour.

* * *

"Shut up, Thor." Odin ordered.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Lightning flashed, and rain began streaming through the broken window, joining the hail that was still falling through the ceiling.

Odin sighed heavily. Then, grabbing Thor's arm, he proceeded to drag the screaming boy out of the room.

"Do not worry, brother," Loki managed to whisper in Thor's ear before he was dragged off. "As soon as I'm done cleaning up my room I'll come help you with your lessons."

Thor glared at him sulkily, but Loki just smirked.

"And thanks for putting out my dresser!" he added, as Odin and Thor disappeared down the hallway.

"Are you sure you can clean this up?" Frigga asked, putting a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"Of course," Loki said, smiling. "It'll be fun!"

Frigga laughed. "I'll leave you to it, then," she said, turning gracefully and taking her leave.

As soon as he was alone, Loki got out his magic book and skimmed the pages until he found what he was looking for. The book didn't have an index, which was quite inconvenient, but it did result in him finding other spells that he hadn't been looking for, which was how he'd ended up demolishing his chambers. He bit his lip as he tried to keep himself from trying out a spell that would cause spontaneous combustion, before finally forcing himself to focus on fixing up his room.

It ended up taking a few hours for him to get the job done, as he had been rather thorough in his destruction. But it had been worth it. He grinned at his handiwork, before transporting himself to the library.

* * *

"Loki!" Thor said happily, looking up from where he'd been trying to cause his homework to go up in flames by staring at with enough contempt. He leaped up and rushed to his little brother, just in time to catch him as he stumbled.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked.

"I'm fine," Loki answered, his thin body shaking unsteadily.

"For once I can actually tell you're lying," Thor said.

"I'm just a little tired." Loki said defensively. "That magic was not necessarily easy."

"I believe you," Thor said, essentially carrying his little brother over to a chair and sitting down next him. "Why didn't you just fall asleep on your bed?"

"I said I would come, did I not?" Loki answered.

"You did. I didn't realize how exhausted you'd be, though." Thor replied, surveying his brother's trembling form.

"I'm not exhausted," Loki said defiantly, as he crawled onto his big brother's lap. "Do you still need help with your lessons?"

"No, it's alright. Just fall asleep, okay? You shouldn't be wearing yourself out like this. We could always have gotten some of the servants to fix your chambers."

"I'm not wearing myself out."

"Whatever you say brother, whatever you say," Thor murmured. But Loki had already fallen asleep in his brother's arms.

* * *

**Reviews are the gas in my engine! Ehehehe ^.^ **


	8. Chapter 8

**Aww, you guys are amazing! ^.^ Thank you all so much, and I hope you enjoy:D**

* * *

Loki woke up back in his own room. He blinked sleepily as the afternoon sunlight fell across his eyelids, bright and warm. Groaning, he rolled over and buried his head beneath his pillow. The door was thrown open and banged loudly against the wall causing Loki to start, tumbling off his bed and onto the floor, taking his blankets along with him.

"Brother, what have I ever done to you that you should disturb my rest in such a fashion?" Loki muttered irritably, untangling himself from the covers.

"Sorry," Thor said, blue eyes glittering as he grinned madly. "But guess what! You won't believe it!"

"That you brought me breakfast?" Loki asked, rubbing his eyes, his dark hair sticking up all over the place.

Thor laughed, setting the tray down on Loki's desk. "Yes, that too. And it's lunch actually. Mother figured you'd be hungry, since you were so busy yesterday you missed lunch, and then you fell asleep before dinner, and then you slept through breakfast this morning. But guess what else!"

Loki observed Thor amusedly as the older boy just about vibrated with excitement.

"Alright. Let me guess—there is going to be a great feast in a few days, am I right?"

"How do you always know?" Thor pouted.

"If you wanted to tell me then you shouldn't have asked me to guess," Loki smirked, sitting down at his desk and proceeding to eat his meal neatly.

Thor bounced impatiently, and as soon as Loki finished Thor grabbed his arm and dragged him from the room.

"Wait, I haven't even made my bed yet! And my hair's still a mess!" Loki protested.

"You can fix it later," Thor replied, "We're already late for battle training!"

"Oh, so you're right." Loki said, rubbing his arm where Thor had been holding him. "How about we race?"

"You're on," Thor grinned.

And they took of sprinting down the hall.

* * *

"I won!" Thor cried triumphantly, gasping for breath.

"Did not," Loki panted. "I won that time, you can't deny it. I definitely entered the room a few steps ahead of you."

"I can too deny it!"

"Because you're a sore loser."

"No, Thor really did win," A girl said, her black hair cascading down her shoulders as she crossed her arms and glared at Loki.

"Thank you Sif!" Thor said.

"Oh come on, you're not still upset about the hair incident are you?" A red-headed boy laughed, patting her on the shoulder. "There's no need to remain bitter, not when there are so many sweet things in this world. Like cake!"

"Not everything is about food, Volstagg," Sif snorted.

"Oh? Well then it should be," Volstagg grinned. "Though Thor, I honestly think Loki won that round."

Loki looked up at the older boy, smiling gratefully.

Before Thor could argue, a boy with sweeping blond hair sauntered up. "Actually, I do believe it was a tie. What do you think, Hogun?" he addressed a black-clad boy who stood silently beside him.

Hogun didn't say anything.

"See? Hogun agrees with me," the blond boy said. "The race between the princes was a tie."

"Behold Fandral, ever the peacemaker," Volstagg said merrily.  
"And who could argue with a handsome, valiant lad like myself?" Fandral grinned, brandishing his sword and striking a pose.

"Oh please," Sif rolled her eyes.

Whatever narcissistic comment Fandral was about to make was cut off by the instructor entering the training yard.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than I've been trying for, but the next one should hopefully be longer! My excuse is that sleep deprivation has caught up with me. **

***insert clever way of saying "please review!"*  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and alerted! I hope you all enjoy the chapter:D **

* * *

"Alright! Now it's time to see if you remember any techniques from the last lesson!" The instructor announced, as everyone lay gasping on the ground from the extensive warm up, which had involved three laps around the entire castle, among other conditioning exercises.

Everybody groaned.

"Can't we take a few minutes break?" Loki asked, speaking for all of them.

"Everyone else can. You and Thor, however, are dueling for first," The instructor said, "Now stand up and quit complaining."

Thor jumped up eagerly, and though he fared better than everyone else, even his legs were shaking slightly beneath him.

"I wasn't complaining. I was simply asking a question," Loki muttered, pushing himself slowly to his feet.

The two princes grabbed practice swords and got into position, facing each other. Thor quivered in anticipation.

"There is to be no cheating in this duel. Which means, Loki, there is to be _no magic whatsoever._" The instructor said, with a pointed look at the younger prince.

Loki just nodded, his expression one of reluctant resolution.

"Begin!"

At the instructor's signal, Thor sprung into action. He went into vicious offense, Loki just barely managing to block his brother's swings, as he got pushed closer and closer to the wall. In a single swift movement, Thor knocked the sword out of Loki's hands. He pointed the sword at Loki's chest. "Surrender!" he cried, grinning triumphantly.

In a split second Loki had ducked beneath the blade and launched himself at his brother's legs, knocking him to the ground. The sword clattered out of his hands. Loki began to tickle his brother, smiling evilly.

"Foul!" Thor yelled, giggling. He managed to tazer Loki, who yelped and retaliated by squeezing above Thor's knees.

"Boys, that is quite enough!" The instructor said sternly, as the boys tumbled on the training floor in a giggling mess. Loki had somehow managed to get a hold of a feather and was attempting to tickle Thor's neck as the older boy yanked off Loki's boots and tickled his feet.

"BOYS!"

Thor looked up, and Loki took the opportunity to disengage himself and run to hide behind Volstagg. He peeked out from behind the red-head at Thor, still laughing and wiping the tears from his face.

"Don't think this is the end, brother. I will get you for that," Thor grinned.

"Loki, what did I tell you about cheating?" The instructor said severely, striding over to him.

"You said not to use any magic," The voice said from behind Volstagg. "And I didn't."

"Tickling counts as cheating!"

"How come?"

"Because it's not proper!"

"Oh? Do you really expect your enemies to be proper? To play by the rules?" Loki asked, raising his dark eyebrows. "Tell me, how much do rules mean when you're dead?"

"That's not the point," The instructor said, exasperated.

"I fail to see what that has to do with tickling," Sif agreed coldly.

"You're just jealous you didn't get to tickle Thor," Loki said, his green eyes teasing.

"How dare you!" Sif shrieked, throwing herself at the younger boy, who ducked behind Volstagg again. Sif barreled into Volstagg, causing them both to crash into Fandral, who crashed into Hogun, who ended up at the bottom of an Asgardian dog pile.

"G'off" he muttered darkly.

"The great Hogun speaks!" Fandral exclaimed, "He has spoken his word of the day, now all shall rejoice!"

Hogun hit him over the head with Loki's boot.

"Oh, thanks for finding that for me," Loki said, walking over barefoot and grabbing back his shoe. "Now where did the other one go..."

Sif hurled it angrily at his head. Loki's hand shot up and he caught it before it could nail him in the face. "And thank you too!" He grinned, walking over to the bench and proceeding to put his shoes back on.

"I'm hungry," Volstagg complained, as they all began to untangle themselves.

"What a surprise," Fandral said sarcastically. He reached over and unhooked one of his buckles that had gotten caught on Volstagg's armor.

"These outfits are such a drag," Volstagg mumbled, "You can hardly walk anywhere without all the straps getting caught on brambles and Sif's hair."

"Hey!" Sif growled, from where she was bent over, her long hair caught on Hogun's armor, as she tried to detach herself while not ripping all her hair out.

"I am going to murder you, Loki," she threatened, finally getting herself free.

"You shall not harm my little brother!" Thor roared, stepping in front of her, his blue eyes angry. Sif glared at him, before turning around and huffing back over to where the boys were still struggling with their attire problems.

"Would you like me to help?" Loki asked.

"Nobody needs your help!" Sif spat.

"Take care how you speak of my brother," Thor told Sif icily.

"I don't see why you always stick up for him," Sif said, rolling her eyes haughtily. "He only causes trouble!"

Thor growled.

While Thor was distracting Sif, Loki sneaked around the edge of the arena and made his way over to the three boys, quickly untangling them with his deft fingers.

As soon as we was done, he heard footsteps behind him, and whirled around to see Sif coming towards him, Thor on her heels.

Loki froze as Sif threw herself at him.

And ended up on the ground, having passed right through the illusion.

"LOKI!" Sif shrieked.

The instructor sighed wearily. "That's it, I'm getting the Allfather."

* * *

**If you review I will love you forever ^.^ **


	10. Chapter 10

**I LOVE YOU ALL! ^.^ Thank you so much for all your support, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! **

**Guest: Thank you so much for the reviews! And yes, I was planning on having them being kids for the whole story.  
**

* * *

They all watched in silence as the instructor strode determinedly out of the arena.

Loki was the first to move, spinning on his heels and taking off towards the forest.

"EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR FREEDOM!" Thor shrieked, tearing after his brother, Sif and the three boys a few paces behind.

When they got to the to the edge of the trees Loki was waiting for them.

"Quick, everybody find a clever hiding spot," He hissed, a mischievous expression flitting across his sharp features. "In order for Odin to punish us, he'll have to play hide-and-seek-tag first!"

Thor grinned, patting Loki on the back, causing the younger boy to stagger forward. "Good plan, brother." And with that he stormed off into the foliage.

"And _why _should we do this exactly?" Sif asked, narrowing her eyes at Loki.

"You don't have to," Loki said, shrugging. "Feel free to stay here and face Odin's wrath by yourself."

Sif glanced around, only then realizing that everyone else had already left. When she turned back to Loki he was already gone. Scowling, she stalked off to find herself somewhere to hide.

* * *

Loki sprinted through the underbrush, taking care to make as little noise as possible, as his eyes scanned the area for a place to conceal himself, their vibrant green putting even the lushest plants to shame. Spotting an ancient tree with dense leaves and branches that didn't start till a good fifty feet up, he grinned to himself. No way would the Allfather ever find him there.

* * *

Thor charged through the forest randomly. Finally he stopped, panting slightly. Why weren't any good hiding spots presenting themselves? Sighing, he glanced down at his red tunic. Red. Maybe he could find something red to blend in with. Spying a thick bramble with red flowers, he ducked down and crawled into the center of it, trying to ignore the sharp twigs as they scratched against his skin, drawing thin lines of red blood. He waited.

* * *

Volstagg had recognized the glint in everyone's eyes at Loki's plan, and he too had felt a thrill of excitement. Also, he didn't particularly want to be around the King when he was angry. So coming to an unspoken agreement, he, Hogun, and Fandral had run off in completely opposite directions. He had been looking for a hiding place when he came upon a bunch of blackberry bushes. And suddenly all thoughts of hiding from Odin were forgotten.

* * *

Hogun followed the sound of water till he came to the stream. He jogged upstream along the bank, searching for a log or something similar he could use to cross. It wasn't that deep, but he didn't want to wade through and get wet. Finally he came to a relatively large waterfall. Change of plans, he thought to himself, dropping down onto the rocks and folding himself into the dark crevice behind the spray.

* * *

Fandral dashed through the trees. The ground steepened and he found himself running uphill, much to his annoyance. The slope kept inclining until his legs burned and he struggled for breath. As soon as he made it to the top of the hill he collapsed, rolling over onto his back. He yelped as the ground dropped away from beneath him and he tumbled over a small cliff, continuing to roll down the other side of the hill. When he finally came to a halt, he was covered in dirt and his usually perfectly arranged hair was tangled and full of twigs. He looked up at the sky from the slivers between the huge green leaves as the world spun around him. Well, this was as good a place to hide as any, he thought idly.

* * *

Sif shook her head like a wet dog after pulling herself out of the stream on the other side. Her arms and legs were covered in goosebumps from the cold water, but she pretended that she wasn't, even though no one was close enough to hear if he teeth chattered or to see her wrap her arms around herself. She'd just have to find a spot in the sunlight, so she could dry off. She finally settled on crouching behind some warm boulders, though she was close enough to the dense foliage to make an run for it if necessary.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY USED TO BE HERE?!" Odin roared, as the instructor flinched.

"They were here when I left—"

"You just _left _them here?" Odin asked, shocked. "They were causing trouble even when you were here, did you not think it would simply get worse when you left?!"

"Well, I—"

"They could be anywhere! And my sons are supposed to be grounded! Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep them in line?" Odin continued, his face contorting with fury as he glared at the instructor.

"Yes, sir—" The instructor started, trying his best not to whither beneath the King's one-eyed gaze.

"I bet this is Loki's doing. It was Loki causing the trouble, was it not?"

"Not exactly—"

"And now they've run off and _I_ have to find them because _you _couldn't even keep six children in line!"

"You just said that you had enough trouble with just the two princes!" The instructor said, desperately trying to get a word in his defense. But the Allfather wasn't listening, his furious gaze having trained itself onto one of the guards that was walking their way.

"Your majesty," the guard said, "The princes were sighted running towards the forest with four others."

"The forest? Gods, what have you done?!" Odin yelled at the trembling instructor, before he turned and stormed off towards the forest.

When he came to the edge of the trees, a slip of parchment caught his eye. Frowning, the Allfather picked it up. It read:

_Odin,_

_Let's play a game of hide-and-seek-tag. You're it! _

* * *

******(To make things simpler, I'm simply using Midgardian terms, for things like games or months and whatever.) **

**A lot of description this time around, but I promise the action will pick up next chapter! You can look forward to a VERY angry Odin:D AND THERE WILL BE MUCH LOKINESS!  
**

**Let it be known that Loki's tricks are indirectly powered by reviews:D  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Eep! Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and alerted! I can't get over how amazing and sweet you all are ^.^**

* * *

Loki sat perched in the tree, bored out of his mind. He had a very good vantage point, but currently there wasn't much to see, now that everyone had hidden. So he waited. And waited. To keep his mind from driving him crazy he was contemplating how much energy it would take to catch himself with magic before he hit the ground, if he were to to somehow lose his balance—from, say, laughing—when he heard the Allfather scream his name. A wry grin spread across Loki's face. The game was on.

* * *

"LOKIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Odin roared furiously, crumpling up the note. "Guards!"

The guards snapped to attention.

"You will help me find these troublesome children!" The King ordered.

The guards nodded, splitting off into groups and striding into the forest after Odin.

* * *

Volstagg was in the process of reaching for a particularly large blackberry, standing on his toes and leaning through a gap in the branches, trying to avoid the thorns, when he heard the snap of twigs behind him.

"Halt!" someone yelled.

Volstagg jumped in surprise, losing his balance and falling into the thick of the bushes.

"OW THAT HURTS!" He yelped, as the thorns dug into his skin.

A guard approached him, offering a hand to help him out of the bushes. Volstagg grabbed it, but instead of pulling himself out he dragged the guard into the bushes as well, grinning.

The guard swore angrily as he found himself being scratched by the brambles.

"HA! That's what you get for interrupting my snack!" Volstagg said. "By the way, do you know when lunch is?"

"WHAT IN ASGARD ARE YOU DOING?" Odin yelled, suddenly stepping into the clearing and seeing Volstagg and the guard stuck in the middle of some bushes.

"Uhh..." Volstagg managed. "This is technically where I'm supposed to run, right?"

* * *

Loki quickly clambered down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground. That hiding spot was _too _good. He had to make this a challenge for himself somehow. Besides, what was the fun if nobody found you eventually? It wasn't always that enjoyable to not be seen.

Quietly he crept to where Volstagg had "hidden." Loki considered just teleporting, but he was still drained from the day before and wanted to save his energy for causing trouble.

He peered out from the shadows at the scene before him.

* * *

"Don't you dare move," Odin growled, stalking forward.

"Emergency! Operation Bilgesnipe!" Volstagg shrieked. He plucked off a thorn and stuck it to his nose, before spinning around and charging in the opposite direction of the Allfather. Through the blackberry bushes.

"What are you waiting for? Get him!" Odin yelled.

* * *

Loki met Volstagg on the other side of the brambles. "This way!" he hissed, disappearing into the underbrush, Volstagg just behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Volstagg asked as they ran.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Forfeiting what would have been your win."

"Winning's too easy." Loki replied simply.

Volstagg gaped at him, before laughing and shaking his head. "You don't make any sense," he said fondly.

"Have I ever?" Loki smirked.

"GET HIM!" Odin yelled, his footsteps not very far behind.

"Him?" Volstagg asked, "Have they not seen you?"

"I guess not. Let's fix that, shall we?" Loki said, stopping abruptly next to a flowering red bush.  
"What the...?" Volstagg slowed down and turned to look at what Loki was doing, as suddenly Odin and the guard burst into sight, right behind Loki. Seeing him, they tried to halt, but couldn't stop themselves in time and crashed into—or rather, _through _him, and into the red brambles.

The bush trembled. "HOW DARE THOU DEMOLISH MY SECRET HIDING SPOT?!"

* * *

**I'm so sorry, it's not as much as I'd hoped to write! But I sort of _forgot_ I had four dance performances today and therefore virtually NO TIME. (I have no idea how I forgot that.) Not to mention I'm completely exhausted... I hope you enjoyed the chapter though:D Next one should hopefully be longer. **

**I will do this Thor-style: THOU SHALT REVIEW OR THOU SHALT FEEL THE WRATH OF THE MIGHTY THOR!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**I cannot say Thank You enough for all your comments and support! You guys are AMAZING *_***

* * *

Odin and the guard stared dumbfounded as an enraged Thor charged out of the partially flattened plant, uttering a cringe-inducing battle cry.

The guard only hesitated a moment before turning and running the opposite direction.

However the King hadn't managed to grasp the situation before his eldest son crashed into him, knocking him backwards.

"STOP!" The King ordered, as Thor proceeded to punch and kick at him. "I AM YOUR KING AND YOUR FATHER, AND YOU WILL OBEY ME!"

But his son either wasn't listening or didn't care. And for the second time in two days, storm clouds roiled in the sky.

* * *

Meanwhile, the guard had finally succeeded in finding reinforcements. They group of five guards were just racing along the bottom of a hill when a couple of them tripped over something.

"AUGH!" Fandral exclaimed, curling up around his stomach where he'd been kicked. "That hurt, you bilgesnipe! I was taking a nap!"

"Are you insulting me?" One of the guards growled, getting back to his feet and glaring down at the boy.

"...No sir," Fandral said. "Though I have to admit that you do not possess my good looks."

The guard threw himself at Fandral angrily, but Fandral slid beneath the man's legs and took off running, the guards close behind.

Fandral continued to taunt them as they wove randomly through the trees. "Ha ha! You shall never be able to tag Fandral the Dashing!" He said gleefully. Suddenly a drop of water fell on his head, and he spared a glance at the darkening sky. Lightning flashed, and the thunder reverberated in their ears, as almost simultaneously it began pouring.

"Again, Thor? Really?" Fandral thought aloud.

* * *

Behind the waterfall, Hogun didn't notice the rain at first. The air was already filled with water from the spray, and he couldn't hear the raindrops over the roar of the crashing water. It wasn't until he felt a rumbling beneath his feet that he realized what was happening. Panicking, he quickly clambered out from the crevice and began to climb up the rocks next to the waterfall in order to reach the bank. He'd just gotten his head above the rocks and was about to pull himself out of the riverbed when the flash flood hit him in the face.

* * *

Sif shivered, pressing herself closer against the boulder to stay beneath the slight overhang. Thor must have been found, she thought, annoyed. He never responded well to losing. And now the sun was gone, it was dumping rain, and she was cold again.

Hearing something, she snapped to attention. She peered around the edge of the boulder in the direction of the stream. Her eyes widened as a huge wave of water tore towards her.

Quickly, she scrambled up the rock face, pulling herself up just as the flood rushed inches beneath her feet. "HELP MEEEEEEEEE!" Someone shouted, their voice choking off as if their mouth got full of water.

"Hogun?" She exclaimed, seeing the black-clad boy sweeping towards her, struggling to keep himself from being pulled under the current.

"THIS IS NOT COOL!" He shrieked.

"I agree. This water isn't cool, it's _freezing!" _Sif grumbled, lowering herself into the water and reaching out a hand to Hogun, keeping her other hand firmly gripped on the rock. Hogun sped by, missing her hand by centimeters. Sif shot out her foot, managing to just barely hook it around his.

"Keep your foot flexed," she told him. Hissing from the effort, she managed to bring her leg towards her till she could grab hold of Hogun's shirt, and promptly haulted the two of them onto the rock.

They lay there gasping for several minutes, before Sif broke the silence.

"You know," she said, "I think you have something you need to say to me."

"Thank you."

* * *

"I've had enough of this!" Odin growled, grabbing a screaming Thor by the foot and picking him up, causing him to hang upside down, as a bolt of lightning almost struck the Allfather.

"Well this is amusing," Loki remarked from the sidelines of the newly created clearing, where he was standing next to a nervous Volstagg.

"Don't you think we should help Thor?" The red-head asked.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to help the Allfather," Loki said . "Do you happen to have any weapons on you?"

"No..."

"Are you sure?" Loki asked, turning to look at Volstagg perplexedly. Abruptly the prince reached up and pulled a butterknife out of Volstagg's ear.

"Aha! I knew you were hiding something from me!" Loki said triumphantly.

Volstagg stared at him, aghast.

Loki however was busy watching the battle as Thor managed to kick Odin's hand and make him let go, before attacking him again. Thor's intentions were not clear, though it looked as though he was trying to steal the King's helmet.

"THOR YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS INSOLENCE!"

"YOU BROUGHT HARM UPON MY HIDING SPOT!"

"YOU WILL BE GROUNDED FROM THE FEAST IF YOU DON'T STOP IT THIS INSTANT!"

"YOU WILL BE PARTED FROM YOUR HELMET IF YOU DON'T APOLOGIZE TO MY PLANT!"

Loki took his aim.

The Allfather made to grab Thor once more, but he found himself jerked backwards. Whirling around, he discovered that a butterknife from the kitchen had been embedded hilt-deep into a tree, pinning his cape to the trunk.

When he turned back to Thor, the boy was gone. Along with Odin's helmet.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter:D Please review and let me know what you think! ****  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ehehehe every time I see a review, fave or alert I literally start bouncing up and down with happiness! ^.^ You guys are THE BEST! **

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter:D**

* * *

"Why did you remove me from the battle?" Thor demanded, as Loki pulled him through the wet underbrush.

"You weren't getting anywhere. And here's your prize, by the way," Loki answered, sticking Odin's helmet on Thor's head.

Thor brightened immediately. "How do I look?" he asked eagerly.

"Like a King," Loki said, smirking as the helmet slipped over his brother's eyes.

Thor beamed, pushing the helmet back up, only to have it fall down again.

"Now that you're not angry Thor, would you mind making it stop raining?" A miserably wet Volstagg asked.

"What?" Thor said, looking up at the stormy sky as if he only just realized that it was pouring rain and he and his colleagues were soaked. "Oh, I think it should stop eventually... but it's not so bad, is it?" he said, looking over at Volstagg. Seeing the boy's face, Thor raised his blond eyebrows quizically. Try as he might, he was never able to lift just one. "Friend, why do you have a thorn on your nose?"

"Uh..." Volstagg said, taking the thorn off his nose, slightly embarrassed. "Operation Bilgesnipe."

"What is this 'Operation Bilgesnipe'?" Thor asked, bewildered. "Why have I never heard of it before?"

"Probably because he just made it up today," Loki supplied helpfully.

"Ah. Well, you shall have to show it to me sometime," Thor said.

Suddenly they heard somebody emit a loud, high-pitched scream.

"Sif?!" Thor cried, charging off in the direction of the sound. Loki and Volstagg followed behind him, Loki managing to duck all the branches that Thor accidentally caused to swing at them, while Volstagg got whacked in the face.

"Loki!" Volstagg accused.

"What? It's not my fault!" Loki said, rolling his eyes.

"Hurry, our friends our in peril!" Thor called back to them.

Moments later they burst out onto the riverbank, where they could see Sif and Hogun on a rock in the middle of the huge river. Hogun sat huddled on the ground while Sif stood. She waved at them wildly and yelled something, but the roaring of the water and the slowly ceasing rain whipped her words away.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Thor called.

"I'll go ask her, shall I?" Loki said, disappearing and then reappearing on the rock not a split second later.

* * *

"A little trouble?" Loki asked innocently. Sif glared at him, causing Loki to smirk. "Ah, you would rather the mighty Thor be over here. Well, I'm afraid he can't at the moment. But if you would like to converse with him, I can get the two of you off this rock."

Hogun and Sif exchanged glances, before Hogun stood up and came over to them. Loki took the silent hint, and grabbing their hands, transported them over to the bank.

"Loki!" Sif shrieked.

"What?" he asked, raising a delicate eyebrow, at which Thor pouted; he was always annoyed he couldn't do the same.

"That..." Sif giggled suddenly, causing them all to stare. "That _tickled._"

"Sif, are you alright? And why did you scream earlier?" Thor asked, worried.

"Scream? That wasn't me, that was Hogun!" Sif said, regaining her composure and staring at Thor indignantly.

"That was _Hogun?"_ Volstagg and Thor exclaimed.

Hogun's face grew hot and he looked at the ground.

"Yeah, a spider was crawling up his leg," Sif shrugged, though she was smiling amusedly. "But don't worry—I squashed it."

"Hogun is afraid of spiders?" Volstagg said, chuckling. "Oh just wait till Fandral finds out..."

Hogun's eyes widened in fear.

"Speaking of our friend Fandral, where is he?" Thor said, looking around as if he might suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Loki looked up from where he'd been leaning against a tree, his face in his hands. "He's that way," Loki said, pointing to their left deeper into the forest. He hoped nobody noticed that his arm was shaking slightly. He wasn't used to transporting other people as well as himself, not to mention he was still magically drained from the day before.

"How do you know?" Thor asked.

"First of all, the birds in that direction are alarming. And second of all, I can hear him yelling."

Everyone paused to listen.

"You idiotic... Jotun... bilgesnipe! Actually, I think... I've already used... that one... I'm running out... of insults here... you are all ugly... compared to... my handsomeness! Don't worry... about it though... you're not... the only ones..." They heard him shouting in the distance, slowly getting closer.

"Is it just me, or does it sound like he's having fun?" Volstagg grinned.

"Certainly more than some of us," Sif muttered.

"Are you not having fun, Sif?" Thor asked, concerned.

"Well, I kind of got caught in a flashflood... and am now cold and soaked..." she hinted.

"Do not worry my friend, you will dry off!" Thor said cheerfully, patting her shoulder. "But now we shall go help Fandral!"

Thor ran off again, Sif, Volstagg and Hogun following right behind him.

Loki shook his head at their behavior. They'll be back, he thought to himself, while twirling Odin's helmet on his finger.

* * *

**Next chapter should be the end of hide-and-go-seek-tag (otherwise known as make-Odin-and-the-guards-as-angry-as-possible) :D**

**Review if you value your hats! Loki's starting a collection O.O He hides them on the roof... so good luck trying to get them back :P  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**EEEEEEEEEE THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOUR SUPPORT MEANS ALL THE 9 REALMS TO ME! *_*  
**

**This chapter is a bit short, sorry about that! I literally had about 7 hours of finals today, and then I was busy with other stuff and wasn't able to start writing until midnight... I have excuses! Ehehehe... I hope the chapter's okay:D**

* * *

"RETREAT!" Loki heard Thor shout, and the entire group pounded their way back towards where he was sitting. He pulled his legs up to his chest and watched the underbrush.

A moment later Thor stormed by, followed closely by his friends and the guards. They ran right past where Loki was sitting, not even noticing he was there. Loki let Thor and the others past, but swiftly stuck his leg out in front of the guards, causing the ones in front to trip, and the ones behind them to crash into the ones in front.

"What on Asgard!?" One of the guards cried out angrily, scanning the surrounding forest but not seeing anything unusual.

Loki now stood with his back up against the other side of the tree, having rolled out of the way. He waited for the guards to get to their feet and continue after his colleagues.

"You will not be able to evade us forever!" A guard yelled, as they resumed the chase.

Loki quickly stuffed Odin's helmet in a magic pouch he carried around his waist, before slinking silently but efficiently through the plants in order to intercept the group. He stumbled slightly, cursing under his breath. Was he really so weak as to be tired from a simple game of hide-and-seek-tag? Biting his lip he forced himself to ignore his weariness, knowing Thor's friends would take any excuse to pick on him.

It would be easy enough to just slip away to his room and let them get caught. So why was he trying to make the guards go through Jotunheim to catch them? He wondered to himself, already knowing the answer.

He liked chaos. He liked causing trouble.

"Alright alright... I take it back!" Fandral yelped, as one of the guards finally grabbed him. "I take it all back!"

Loki crept out from the shadows to see a couple guards standing over an exhausted Fandral, whilst the rest chased after Thor and the others.

Loki made a mad dash, distracting the guards and allowing Fandral to slip away.

"Nice going," Fandral said, catching up to run beside him.

Loki smirked. "Do you have a weapon?"

Fandral shook his head, confused. "What good would that do us?"

"Not even a small dagger or anything?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" Loki regarded Fandral thoughtfully. He reached over and pulled something out of the blond boy's ear. "Do you always carry a hairbrush with you?" Loki asked, eying the brush skeptically.

"What? No! I didn't—that's not—"

"It'll do," Loki shrugged. Turning so that he was running backwards, Loki threw the hairbrush, ricocheting it off one of the guards helmets, then hitting the other's.

The guards stumbled backwards, giving Loki and Fandral a chance to gain a good lead on them.

"You're pretty... nifty with a hairbrush," Fandral commented, out of breath.

"Would you like me to do your hair sometime?" Loki panted.

Fandral tried to chuckle, but ended up wheezing instead. "No... thanks. Not after... what you did... to Sif's hair."

"I can't cut your hair with a hairbrush," Loki pointed out.

"YOU WILL NOT CATCH THE MIGHTY THOR SO EASILY!" Thor screamed, interrupting whatever Fandral was about to say.

Not wanting to miss the action, the two boys ran towards Thor's voice. They burst into a clearing, only to find Thor and everyone else safely restrained.

"LOKIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Odin roared, seeing his younger son.

"Got to go," Loki muttered, turning around and sprinting back into the trees. The last two guards reached the clearing at that moment, immediately grabbing Fandral before he could move.

Desperately Loki tried to make himself invisible as he heard the Allfather behind him. He saw himself flicker a few times, before everything went black.

* * *

**Loki always pushes himself too hard:( **

**Somebody mentioned that there should be some corporal punishment. Please let me know what you guys think! I'm really uncertain what to do when it comes to punishments, which isn't that great, since what with all the trouble Loki causes there's probably going to have to be a fair amount of it... **

**Any and all input is greatly appreciated!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Oh my Loki, thank you all so much for all the input! It really helps me a ton! *-* And thank you to everyone who has favorited, alerted, reviewed, and/or is reading this story! YOU PEOPLE ARE SO AMAZING! :D **

**I finished my finals! Woot! I'm officially on break now:) To everyone who had finals, I hope they went well, and if you're taking them now or have yet to take them, good luck! ^.^  
**

**Autumn: In the Norse mythology, Sif originally has golden-blonde hair. But then Loki cuts it, and it turns black. I'm not a quite sure how. I haven't actually read the myths, everything I know is from what I've heard from people or read in other fics... I just figured it would be fun to include in the story ^.^  
**

**I hope you all enjoy!  
**

* * *

Odin soon walked back into the clearing, holding the unconscious Loki in his arms.

"My brother!" Thor exclaimed, beginning to try and break away from the guards restraining him with renewed vigor upon seeing Loki. "Is he alright? What happened?"

"Loki's fine," Odin assured his older son, "He just passed out."

"Loki passed out?" Fandral asked, snickering slightly.

Odin looked down at him coldly, and the boy quickly stopped.

"Thor," Odin said angrily, "What have you done with my helmet?"

Thor reached up to where he used to be wearing it, puzzled. "I don't know."

"How do you _not know?!_" the King yelled.

"I used to be wearing it, I swear! It must have fallen off when I was running."

"You!" Odin barked, pointing at one of the guards. "Go retrieve my helmet!"

The guard nodded, running off.

"And bring them inside," the Allfather growled at rest of the guards, gesturing to Thor and his friends. He strode off towards the castle, the guards dragging four reluctant children and restraining one eager prince, who was trying to catch up to his father and brother. "Let me go!" Thor snapped angrily, finally managing to tear himself away. He ran up to Odin.

"Are you sure Loki's okay?" Thor asked anxiously.

"Yes," the King replied.

Thor nodded, reassured, and walked obediently beside his father the rest of the way to the castle.

* * *

When they walked inside, Frigga came hurrying up to meet them. "Oh, my poor darling," she said worriedly, taking her youngest son into her own arms. "What happened?"

"He just passed out," Odin answered. "He's fine."

Frigga pursed her lips with concern, holding Loki and heading to the Healer's Room, Thor tagging along behind her.

"As for the rest of you," Odin said sternly, turning around to face Sif and the three boys. "I will let your parents determine the extent of your punishment, but my sons will be forbidden from seeing you for the rest of the month."

The children looked angry and disappointed, but they knew better than to talk back to the King of Asgard.

"Now go!" the Allfather ordered.

They wasted no time in running from the hall.

* * *

Loki groaned, groggily opening his eyes.

"Darling!" Frigga exclaimed, at the same moment Thor said "Brother!"

Loki blinked. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Thor said. "But now you're awake!"

"Great," Loki muttered. Thor's friends would never let him live this down.

"How are you feeling?" Frigga asked kindly.

Loki pushed himself into a sitting position, swinging his feet off the bed. "I feel fine." He said quickly, starting to stand up.

Frigga gently pushed him back down. "Rest awhile, you're tired."

"But—" Loki started.

"Passing out is nothing to ashamed of," Frigga said, "It just means you pushed yourself harder than anyone else."

Or I'm the weakest, Loki thought bitterly.

Just then Odin stormed into the room. "Good, Loki's awake."

"How observant of you," Loki said sarcastically. The Allfather ignored the comment.

"Thor, Loki," He said sternly, "What you did was unacceptable, and there will be consequences. First of all, you will not be seeing your friends for the rest of the month you are grounded. And second of all, both of you are banned from the feast."

"WHAT?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Thor screamed. "THAT IS NOT FAIR!"

"_Life _is not fair!" Odin snapped.

"Is death fair?" Loki asked.

"I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT FEAST SINCE THIS MORNING!" Thor shrieked.

"In addition, you will be locked in your rooms whenever you are not attending classes. And if either of you escape," The King glared pointedly at Loki, "Then you will be spending that time in one of the castle's dungeons!"

"Odin!" Frigga chided, "Don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"THEY HAD ME AND THE GUARDS RUNNING AROUND IN THE FOREST FOR HOURS!" Odin yelled angrily.

"You mean, 'the guards and I,'" Loki corrected. "How come nobody cares about grammar?"

"I WANT TO SEE MY FRIENDS AND GO TO THE FEAST!" Thor continued to shout.

"SHUT UP! THAT IS YOUR PUNISHMENT, AND IT IS FINAL!" The Allfather roared.

Thor stopped screaming, but his face was still contorted with anger. Odin grabbed him and pulled him out of the Healer's rooms, dragging him to his chamber.

"But there was going to be cake..." Loki heard Thor mutter.

"Come on, darling," Frigga said, taking Loki's hand gently. Loki followed her obediently.

* * *

Loki waited for a few minutes after he heard the lock click. He could hear Thor stomping around his room, and it sounded like he was smashing stuff. Loki sighed. So much for his brother's room remaining clean.

He removed Odin's helmet from his magic pouch, and swiftly crossed to the window, opening it up and climbing outside. He had to get this done before the guards that would be stationed outside showed up.

A minute or so later he jumped back into his room, shutting the window behind him. He tripped over his immaculately clean floor and stumbled over to his bed, collapsing. He was asleep in seconds.

* * *

_A while later... _

"Have you found my helmet yet?" Odin demanded, as the guard walked into the room.

The guard fidgeted nervously. "I have just located it, yes."

"Well? Where is it?"

"It's on the roof, sir. Hanging atop the spire on one of the towers."

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**Mwah ha ha ha:D  
**

**Okay, most people wanted there to be light corporal punishment. Loki's punishment is currently the same as Thor's, though Odin might change his mind later...  
**

**Please drop me a review and let me know what you think! Your comments and input are GREATLY appreciated:D  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**OH MY GOD YOU PEOPLE ARE AMAZING! Thank you gazillions to everyone who reviewed, alerted, faved, and/or is reading this I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! *_* It passed 100 reviews and I didn't even notice XD I was just so ecstatic to be getting reviews I wasn't even paying attention to how many! **

**I hope you all continue to enjoy! ^_^  
**

* * *

"HOW DID MY HELMET GET ON THE ROOF?!" The King bellowed at the unfortunate guard.

"I do not know, sir," The guard stammered, flinching.

"Well I want it down this instant!" Odin yelled furiously. "I need it for the feast tomorrow!"

"I can't get it down now, it's too late," The guard pointed out miserably.

Odin looked out the window in time to see the last rays of sunshine slink beneath the horizon, Asgard's multiple moons barely managing to keep the inky darkness at bay.

"First thing in the morning then," The King growled. "You are excused."

The guard fled.

* * *

Loki yawned, arching his back and stretching in the way Thor always remarked made him look like a cat. He glanced around the sunlit room, wondering what had caused him to wake, when his eyes suddenly darted to the window to see somebody's legs flailing for purchase on the stone outside. After a few moments they managed to pull themselves back up.

Curious, Loki walked over and leaned out the window, craning his neck to try to see what was going on.

"Did you grab the helmet?" He heard someone yell.

"I can't reach it! I've almost fallen off the castle about fifteen times by now!" Somebody called back.

"The King isn't going to be happy about this, you know."

"Can't he find someone else to do this? We're bound to break our necks!"

"WHO HAS WOKEN ME FROM MY SLUMBER!?" Thor shouted, throwing open his own window and leaning out as well.

Nobody answered.

"Are you sure you didn't mean 'beauty rest,' brother?" Loki called.

Thor turned to glare at him, before grinning. "Good morning brother!"

"Good morning to you too," Loki snickered.

"WELL? WHAT CAUSE HAST THOU TO BE MAKING SUCH NOISE IN THESE EARLY HOURS?" Thor yelled, turning his attention once more to whoever was on the top of the castle.

"We're trying to get the King's helmet!" One of them finally called down.

"THE KING'S HELMET?" Thor shouted confusedly.

"It's atop the spire on the topmost tower!" The other said, his voice sounding exasperated.

"What in Asgard," Thor muttered, clambering out onto the narrow ledge of his window and proceeding to grab onto the edge of the roof and hoist himself up.

Loki was about to follow, but then thought better of it, instead casting an illusion of himself that would allow him to observe what was transpiring.

Thor walked over to the guards, who gaped at him.

"What? Awestruck of my brother's good looks?" The illusion of Loki asked, suddenly appearing beside his brother.

"Loki? You shouldn't be up here! What if you fell?" Thor asked worriedly, as he himself almost slipped on the slick gold stone.

"I'm not," Loki smirked, waving an insubstantial hand through Thor's face. "I'm just watching."

"Right," Thor grinned, relieved that his brother wasn't in any danger. "Now, what was your problem?" he asked, turning to the guards.

The guards wordlessly pointed to the tower. Looking up, Thor could see the helmet hanging off the spire.

"Easy enough," Thor shrugged. He ran at the tower, leaping and managing to grab a ledge, and pulled himself hand over hand to the top. Once there, he regarded the spire for a moment, before simply snapping it off. He then pulled the helmet off and stuck it on his own head, before jumping back down onto the main roof.

"And that," Thor said, brandishing the spire and pointing it at the guards, "Is how you get the Allfather's helmet off the roof!"

* * *

The guards rushed into the throne room, one of them carrying the King's helmet, the other dragging along Thor, who was still clutching the spire.

Odin stood up. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" He roared.

"Your helmet, sire," One of the guards said, dropping to one knee and placing the helmet at the King's feet.

"Yes yes, that's all very well, but why have brought my son down?"Odin demanded angrily.

"Well..." The other guard said uncomfortably, "He was the one who got your helmet down, and he also broke the spire..."

"HE WHAT?!"

"The guards were having trouble," Thor shrugged, though he was grinning proudly. "Does this mean I can go to the feast?"

"No," Odin said firmly. "Son, why did you break the spire?"

"To get your helmet down," Thor said, confused at why he was being asked such an obvious question.

The Allfather nodded slowly, clearly perplexed about the situation. He took the helmet, and held his hand out, Thor giving him the spire somewhat reluctantly.

"Take Thor back up to his room, and make sure you lock both his and Loki's windows," Odin ordered, glaring at the guards to show his displeasure at their failure. They hurried away with the prince, and the King sighed once they'd left, letting his head fall into his hands.

* * *

When the guards had shut and locked his door, Thor had turned around, only to find Loki suddenly sitting on his bed.

"Loki!" he exclaimed, "How did you get in here?"

"The window," Loki said, gesturing vaguely to the now locked panes of glass.

"But they locked them..." Thor said, his brow furrowed.

Loki laughed. "I've been waiting in here for about half an hour."

"Then wouldn't they have noticed you weren't in your room when they locked your window?" Thor asked.

"The door to the the water closet is closed and the light is on," Loki answered.

Thor just looked at him, before he burst out laughing. "You, my brother," he said, patting Loki on the neck, "Are brilliant."

Suddenly Thor's face fell.

"What is it?" Loki said, concerned.

"We're still not allowed to see our friends or go to the feast," Thor said dejectedly.

"Well, I can't do anything about us seeing your friends. But we have each other right?" Loki said, looking up at Thor with strangely hopeful eyes.

"True, true," Thor said, smiling at his little brother's face.

"And we can't sneak down to the feast unless you want to be spending the rest of the month sleeping in the dungeons. They aren't actually so bad though, they just get freezing at night." Loki continued.

Thor shivered. He hated being cold.

"But we can make it so we don't have an entirely unpleasant time."

"What are you planning?" Thor asked, seeing Loki's expression light up mischievously.

"You'll see," Loki grinned, before he disappeared, leaving only a wispy residue of green smoke.

* * *

**Thor doesn't know that sometimes when Loki disappears he's actually giving free hugs to all his lovely fans who review... ^_^ (I'm assuming you all love Loki:P) **


	17. Chapter 17

**I can not say THANK YOU enough! Loki hugs to all the amazing people who faved, alerted and reviewed! ^.^ **

**Doctorscompanion: Sounds like a fun poll! Spearmint, coffee or licorice? I think Loki would be spearmint:D **

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter! **

* * *

Loki appeared just outside the doors to the great kitchen. He stumbled slightly and caught himself on the wall, glaring at the green traces of magic as it dissipated into the air. Apparently his spell hadn't been neat enough. Sighing, he realized he should probably use as minimal magic as possible. He'd learned that using magic was like exercising any muscle, and that after he'd pushed himself particularly hard his magic would be sore for a few days, but afterwards his magic would be slightly stronger.

He didn't really mind the impediment though, seeing it rather as an opportunity to practice his stealth.

Glancing around to make sure no one was coming, he silently slipped through the doors into the kitchen.

The huge room was bustling with activity as the servants prepared the food for the feast. Loki could feel the perspiration already beginning to form along his brow from the heat of all the fires, as he ducked into a corner. It was stiflingly hot.

He observed everyone hurrying by for a few moments, contemplating the best course of action. They were so busy he doubted they would notice him there, however they would notice when he took something. All he needed was a little distraction.

Seeing a boar being roasted on a spit, he carefully urged the flames higher, just enough to start catching it on fire. As the boar began to burn and smoke, the servants rushed over to save it from being ruined. Loki took the moment of chaos to dash over to a table, grab one of the cakes, and make for the door before anyone saw him.

Staggering out into the thankfully deserted hall, he set the large cake down, letting the cooler air wash over him. He stared at the cake for a second, admiring the fancy frosting patterns and trying to figure out the best way to carry it up all the stairs back to Thor's room. He had a feeling he would drop it if he teleported. It was heavy; he didn't think he would be able to carry it all the way back either. Making a decision, he waved his hand over the dessert, and it slowly levitated into the air. Loki nodded his satisfaction and took off down the hall, the cake hovering along behind him.

* * *

"How long till the feast?" Volstagg asked impatiently.

"Not for another couple hours," Fandral said, as he blocked an attack from Sif. The two of them were dueling while Volstagg and Hogun watched.

"Why don't you two spar while you wait? It'll keep your mind off food," Fandral suggested, lashing out at Sif, who dodged out of the way.

"I don't think anything could keep my mind off the feast," Volstagg groaned. "I'm starving."

"You are a bottomless pit, I swear," Fandral laughed, before suddenly Sif knocked his blade out of his hands and sent it flying, pointing her wooden sword at his throat.

"I win," Sif smirked.

Fandral raised his arms in surrender.

"How long till the feast?" Volstagg asked again.

"That's like the tenth time you've asked that in the last five minutes!" Sif rolled her eyes, lowering her blade from Fandral's throat.

"No I haven't!" Volstagg pouted, "That was only the third time."

"It's too bad Thor can't be there," Sif said, annoyed. "And we're not allowed to see him for a whole month!"

"None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for Loki," Fandral muttered.

Everyone nodded.

"We all know what we have to do," Sif declared, looking at the boys.

"We have to convince the King to let Thor attend," Hogun said.

They all stared at him.

* * *

Loki crept down the halls, peering around every corner to make sure nobody was there. The cake tagged along behind him like an obedient dog. Except that it was floating a good meter above the ground.

Glancing around the next corner, Loki's eyes widened in alarm as he saw his father conversing with one of the guards. Loki calculated his options. He didn't know when Odin and the guard would be done talking, and if they then walked his way, he had nowhere to hide. And if he waited there for too long, somebody else might happen upon him.

Making sure the Allfather wasn't looking his direction, Loki took his chances and darted across the hall.

* * *

A flicker of movement caught the King's eye. Turning, he saw a cake fly out of sight.

"WHAT IN ASGARD?!" Odin yelled, his jaw dropping.

"What?" The guard asked confusedly.

"There was a cake! It was flying!" The King stammered. "Did you see that?"

"No sir, I didn't see anything," The guard said, completely bewildered as Odin ran over and glanced down the hallway he'd seen the cake disappear into. Seeing nothing unusual, the Allfather turned and walked back.

"I could have sworn..." he muttered.

"Are you sure you're alright?" The guard asked with concern.

"I'm fine!" Odin snapped. "Now go get me some more mead."

* * *

Loki finally made it back to Thor's chambers, panting slightly. After his narrow escape from his father he'd sprinted the whole rest of the way, wanting to put as much distance between him and the Allfather as possible and knowing it was unlikely he'd come across anyone else when the feast was so close to starting.

Unlocking Thor's door, Loki slipped inside, closing it carefully behind the cake.

* * *

**Loki stole the cake! Both literally and figuratively! Ehehehe XD  
**

**Loki is awesome and he does what he wants. SO REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO! You know you do :D  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS! :D And of course thank you all for all your support! I can't even begin to say how much it means to me *-***

* * *

"Brother!" Thor exclaimed, dropping the sword he'd been practicing with and bounding over to Loki. "What have you been up to this time?" He grinned.

"See for yourself," Loki said, gesturing the cake into view.

Thor's jaw dropped. "You got CAKE!" he exclaimed, blue eyes wide.

"How observant of you," Loki smirked. He waved his pale hand and the cake drifted over and landed softly on the only table, which was shoved in one of the corners to make more space in the center of the chamber for battle practice.

Suddenly Thor launched himself at Loki, engulfing the younger boy in a hug. "Thank you brother! I was worried we wouldn't get dessert."

"Thor..." Loki gasped. "I can't breathe."

"Sorry," Thor mumbled sheepishly, letting Loki go. "But how did you manage to steal a cake from the kitchens on feast day, and get it all the way up here without getting caught?"

Loki just grinned slyly. "I have my ways."

"Did anyone see you at all?" Thor asked curiously.

"Some of the servants might have, but I don't think they noticed me. Odin saw the cake though! He yelled about there being a flying cake and one of the guards asked him if he was feeling alright. The guard probably thinks father is delusional now." Loki answered thoughtfully.

Thor laughed, ruffling Loki's dark hair. "I wish I'd been there to see that!"

"You are incapable of sneaking, we'd have surely been caught!" Loki said, his expression one of mock horror.

Thor punched Loki in the shoulder goodnaturedly. He'd meant to do so lightly, but it still caused Loki to wince and stagger slightly.

"Shall we devour the cake now?" Thor asked eagerly.

Loki rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Who's to stop us?"

* * *

Sif and the three boys hurried up the halls to the throne room, looking for the King. Upon entering the doors the practically ran into him.

"Allfather!" Sif exclaimed, as they all kneeled and put a fist over their chests, as was the custom.

"What do you want?" He growled, glaring down at them. "I'm busy at the moment, so this better be important." He began striding away.

"Wait! This is about Thor and Loki!" Fandral called.

"What about them?"The King demanded, continuing on his way.

The children ran to catch up with him. "We are asking that you reconsider Thor's punishment," Sif explained. "And that you let him come to the feast."

"Why should I do that?" The Allfather asked coldly.

"Because it was Loki's idea, not Thor's! Loki initiated the game. None of it would have happened otherwise," Fandral chipped in.

"It can not all be Loki's fault," Odin replied, "Thor was the one who attacked me and caused it to rain."

"But Loki was behind the entire thing," Hogun said gruffly.

"Hogun speaks! Again!" Fandral said, "It must be important!"

"When does the fest start?" Volstagg interrupted.

Sif, Fandral and Hogun glared at him.

"What?" he said defensively. "I'm starving."

"Thor can't go to the feast; don't you care?!" Fandral hissed at him. "We're trying to get him out of punishment. And you're _not _helping!"

"Is that what's been going on?" Volstagg asked ignorantly. "You know I have trouble paying attention when I'm hungry." he pointed out, as they all gawked at him.

Shaking her head, Sif looked around. Realizing that the Allfather had walked off, she promptly ran after him, the boys following close behind.

"Let Thor come to the feast," Hogun said.

"You wouldn't deny him the enjoyment of such an event, would you?" Sif prodded.

Odin sighed, turning around to look at the four children. "Fine. Thor will be allowed to come to the feast," He relented, "However, he is still grounded for a month, and you will not be seeing him for that time."

The children nodded, knowing that that was the best they were going to get.

"Guard!" The Allfather called. A guard hurried over to him.

"Take these youngsters up to Thor's room and bring him down to the feast," the King ordered.

"Yes sir."

* * *

"LOKI!" Thor yelped, wiping the cake out of his eyes. "What did you do that for?!"

"You were being too indecisive about whether or not to smash your face into it," Loki answered innocently.

Thor turned to glare at him, and Loki snickered. "You look like father on a bad hair day."

"I do?" Thor glanced in the mirror, before he himself started laughing. Frosting covered his hair and face, except for where he'd wiped around his eyes, giving him the appearance of having an out-of-control beard, mustache, and sideburns. "You are right." Thor agreed, as he began to eat what was left of the cake.

"Have you ever known me not to be?" Loki asked, smirking.

"Well, there was the one time—" Thor started.

"Wait!" Loki said, holding a slender finger to his lips. He cocked his head to the side, listening. "People are coming."

Thor cursed, running over to the water closet and beginning to wash his face off.

Loki quickly cleaned up. Realizing he had forgotten to lock the door after coming in, Loki dashed over to it and pressed his hand against the wood, closing his eyes and willing the lock to click into place. Hearing the confirming sound, he then walked over to the plate the cake had been on, waving a hand over it and magicking it back to the kitchens.

The footsteps paused outside the door, and Loki dove underneath Thor's bed.

* * *

The door opened, and a guard walked in, followed by Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Vosltagg.

Thor stumbled out of the bathroom, his whole head dripping wet. "My friends!" He grinned. "What brings you here?"

"We're here to take you to the feast," Fandral answered, looking at Thor's sopping figure. "Trying to wake yourself up after a nap?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Thor nodded, grateful for the excuse. "But I'm not allowed to go the feast," he replied.

"We convinced the Allfather to let you attend, seeing as the game was Loki's idea and not yours." Sif explained.

Thor frowned. "Uh... would you mind exiting my chambers so I could change clothes?" he asked.

* * *

As soon as the door was safely closed, Loki crawled quietly out from under the bed.

"You should go," he whispered to Thor, as the older boy glared at the door.

"But you can't go, and I'd be leaving you alone!" Thor protested.

Loki laughed softly. "You've been looking forward to the feast! Besides, it'll be fun. Don't worry about me."

Thor still looked unsure. Loki went over to Thor's closet and grabbed a nice (dry) tunic and tossed it to Thor. "Go change," he said, adopting his best Frigga-voice.

Thor took the clothes and ducked into the bathroom. When he opened the door he was dressed in a red tunic with a silver belt and embroidery.

"It looks good on you," Loki said, smiling crookedly. "Now go out there and enjoy yourself."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Thor asked, biting his lip.

"Of course. Just remember to dump a mug of ale on somebody's head for me, alright?"

Thor grinned at him. "Mission accepted."

Loki still had to practically push him towards the door to get him to leave. But as soon as Thor slipped out, the smile faded from Loki's face, and he collapsed dejectedly into a corner.

* * *

**Sorry for all the sadness :( Feel free to prank Sif and the Warriors Three mercilessly! **

**Please review and let me know what you think! ^.^  
**

**(Also, if anybody happens to know how to make a miniature Loki helmet, I would be delighted to hear :3 My sister made me a little Loki plushy as a present, and I want to make him a helmet, except I don't know how! XD)  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**I have to leave tomorrow morning and visit relatives, and I won't have access to a computer for a few days, so you get the chapter a day early. **

**Once again, I would like to thank everyone who has been reading this, and all the people who have reviewed, faved, and alerted, you are all so amazing! *-*  
**

**I hope you enjoy! ^.^  
**

* * *

For a few minutes Loki just sat there, perfectly still, his expression hidden by a veil of his black hair. Shaking it out of his eyes, Loki stared around the empty chamber. He twitched his fingers almost absently.

An exact illusion of himself appeared in front of him.

"You know," The illusion said conversationally, "There's no point in wasting this time."

"I'm not wasting it. I'm thinking," Loki answered.

"Oh no! I know what you're thinking," The illusion crossed his arms.

"What? Can you read my mind or something?" Loki smirked, raising an eyebrow.

The illusion copied the expression.

"Ooh, let your face go slack," Loki said, suddenly looking interested, "Think about something."

"Like what?"

"It doesn't matter. How Thor got his room so messy despite that it was cleaned just the other day," Loki suggested.

The illusion complied.

"Is _that _what my resting face looks like?" Loki asked curiously.

"Apparently," The illusion agreed.

"I don't see why Thor says I always look like I'm planning to set his hair on fire. I just look thoughtful. Besides, I'd never actually set Thor's hair aflame." Loki cocked his head to the side, "How corporeal are you?" he asked curiously.

"Let's find out," The illusion answered, grabbing Loki's hand and pulling him to his feet.

Loki contemplated his illusion for a moment, still holding his hand. It was the exact same temperature as the air. "Care for a dance?" He asked, almost shyly.

"Why not?" The illusion said, placing his other hand on Loki's shoulder.

They began a slow but graceful ballroom dance, that gradually became faster and faster, and Loki almost gave a real grin.

But in the end, it was only an illusion.

* * *

"Are you going to eat that or not?" Volstagg asked with his mouth full, gesturing to Fandral's plate of food. "Because if you don't then I'm going to."  
"I just got this food, give me a chance!" Fandral laughed, moving his plate farther away from Volstagg. "Fine," The red-head sighed, but as soon as Fandral looked away, Volstagg quickly stole his leg of boar.

"What is the occasion for this feast again?" Thor asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh, I don't know," Sif answered, "Probably the anniversary of some famous battle."

"I bet Loki would know," Thor said.

"What does it matter? It's a feast!" Fandral said grandly, gesturing to the huge golden hall filled with food and Asgardians celebrating loudly. Farther down somebody jumped up onto the table and started singing.

"How are they already drunk?" Sif asked, disgusted.

Fandral just laughed and started to sing along. Sif rolled her eyes, while Volstagg took the opportunity to steal Fandral's whole plate.

Thor glanced around as if he was expecting something, but nothing happened. He frowned.

"Are you alright, Thor?" Sif asked.

"I'm fine," He answered unconvincingly.

"Come on, brighten up!" Fandral said merrily, slapping Thor and Hogun on the back. "Or I shall have to—Volstagg!" He yelled angrily, seeing his plate empty.

"What?" Volstagg asked, pausing in the act of stealing Hogun's meal.

Just then servants entered the room carrying the dessert.

"Don't you _dare_ steal my cake," Fandral growled.

Volstagg just chuckled, helping himself even as the cake was being set down. Fandral, Hogun and Sif hurried to get their share, before Volstagg ate it all.

"Aren't you going to get some?" Sif gestured at the dessert.

The prince looked as if he was going to be sick. He shook his head.  
"What is wrong with you, Thor?" Hogun said suspiciously.

"Yeah, you've barely said a word through the entire feast," Fandral agreed. "It's unlike you to be so sullen at such an event."

"Aren't you glad you got to come?" Sif asked.

Thor smiled. "You should eat your cake before Volstagg does."

Casting each other confused glances, Sif and the two boys turned back to their dessert.

Thor looked around the crowded hall at the other Asgardians laughing and bellowing. It seemed almost everyone in Asgard was there. "ANOTHER!" Thor suddenly cried, smashing his goblet on the ground. A servant hurried over with another mug of cider. Taking the cup, Thor dumped the contents over a stranger's head.

"What in Asgard was that for?!" The person yelped, jumping to their feet.

"That," Thor said, "Was for Loki." And with that he walked out of the hall.

* * *

Hearing her eldest son yell, Frigga looked up, surprised, to see him storm out of the hall, his friends shouting after him.

"Odin," Frigga said, turning to him. "What is Thor doing here? I thought he was grounded."

"He is," Odin answered. "However he was granted admittance to the feast."

"Loki as well?" Frigga asked.

"No," Odin said, shifting uncomfortably beneath his wife's gaze.

"And why is that?" She, dangerously sweet.

"Well, according to their friends, the event in the forest was Loki's fault rather than Thor's..." The Allfather dried up.

"You mean it was Loki's idea?" Frigga said.

"Yes," The King answered.

"Odin," Frigga hissed angrily, "Do you have any idea what you're doing? You're getting it into Thor and the children's heads that they can get away with anything, and blaming everything unfairly on Loki." Her voice continued to grow quieter and more menacing as she talked. "It might have been his idea, but it was their own choice to participate, and it was as much their fault as it was his. As _King of Asgard_, you should know that! And you need to hold firm to your decisions, because if a few children can talk you out of banning Thor from the feast, who knows what else people will be able to get out of you? I know you've been stressed lately, and you've been holding off the Odinsleep, but there is no excuse for such unwise behavior. You need to pay attention and do what's best for your children, not just your country."

With one last penetrating glare, the Queen gracefully rose and strode away.

"I need you four to come with me a minute," Frigga said sweetly, gesturing to Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg. Bewildered, the got up and followed her out of the hall.

Frigga turned to face them. She lacked her usual soft, kind expression, her features instead drawn with anger and disappointment. The children's eyes widened with fear.

"Now," She said, "Explain to me just how exactly the game in the forest was Loki's fault."

By the time Frigga was done talking to them, there were ashamed tears in their eyes.

* * *

Thor practically flew up the stairs to his chambers.

"Brother!" He said joyfully, throwing open the door.

"What brings you back from the feast so early?" Loki asked smoothly, staring at him from where he was sitting cross-legged on Thor's bed. Thor ran over and jumped on the bed beside his brother, bouncing Loki almost a foot into the air, before Thor grabbed the smaller boy and held him close, burying his face in Loki's dark hair.

"The feast was awful," Thor murmured. "It just wasn't the same without you, brother."

Loki froze with surprise, before he relaxed and hugged his brother back, a real grin spreading across his face.

* * *

**So, I hope that sort of makes up for the sadness... **

**Review the chapter. *bangs glowstick of destiny on the ground* I said: REVIEW! (Please ^.^)  
**

**Doctorscompanion is currently taking a poll for her math class, and she would greatly appreciate it if you wanted to participate! The poll is: If Loki was a flavor, do you think he would be spearmint, coffee, or licorice? (Or other) :D  
**

**Okay, I spent a couple hours today making Loki his helmet ^.^ I constructed it out of pipe cleaners and duct tape, but I'm sort of limited on color choices, so the helmet is neon orange XD (The only other option was black with multi-colored skulls...) I would like to thank dreamydaydreamer for the idea of using pipe cleaners :D I honestly hadn't thought of that. Oh, AND I made him a scarf as well! Now all I need is to make him a glowstick of destiny :3 Eheheheh!  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you all so much for all your support! I love you all *-* **

**I hope you continue to enjoy! :D  
**

* * *

Frigga knocked on the door, before she gently pushed it open, holding a plate of food in one hand.

"Mother!" Thor grinned, "What brings you here?"

"I brought your brother dinner," Frigga said, closing the door softly behind her and setting the plate on Thor's table. "Loki, you can come out from under Thor's bed." She added.

"How did you know I was here?" Loki asked curiously, as he got to his feet.

"Do not underestimate the knowledge of a mother," Frigga laughed kindly. "Was I right in assuming you didn't want dessert?"

"You are indeed correct," Loki said, grinning at her appreciatively. "Thank you for bringing me dinner."

"You're very welcome," Frigga said.

"Are you angry with me?" Loki asked, looking at her searchingly.

"Of course not," Frigga said, meeting his gaze kindly.

Relief flooded Loki's face.

"And I want you to know that your father made a mistake today, allowing Thor to go to the feast while you couldn't."

"And Thor," she continued.

He looked up.

"You do understand that it wasn't Loki's fault, and that you were responsible for your own actions, right?"

"Yes mother," Thor nodded.

"Good," Frigga smiled. She glanced out the window at the darkening sky. "Now, I'm afraid I have duties to attend to," She said reluctantly. "But I'll see you both tomorrow." Frigga kissed both her sons on the forehead, before she turned and left the room.

* * *

"You are hungry right," Thor asked, as he watched Loki eat his dinner slowly and with perfect manners. "Then why don't you _eat faster?" _

Loki raised an eyebrow amusedly. "Have you seen yourself when you eat? It's _disgusting." _

"But you take forever!" Thor objected.

"That is a hyperbole, Thor," Loki said, "But if you really wanted me to finish eating you would stop talking so I didn't have to keep answering you and would therefore be done quicker."

"Fine, I'll stop talking." Thor said. "What's a hyperbole?"

Loki sighed. "I thought you said you were going to stop talking. But if you must know, a hyperbole is an obvious and intentional exaggeration."

"Oh."

When Loki finally finished his dinner, he magicked the plate and utensils to the kitchen, before turning to Thor.

"Want to see a trick?" He asked.

"Yes!" Thor said eagerly.

Loki held out his hands, and suddenly a green flame sprang to life in his palms. The fire began to spread, encasing Loki's slender fingers and snaking up his arms.

As Thor watched in awed horror, Loki crept up behind Thor and tazered him.

"ODIN'S BEARD!" Thor shrieked, whirling around with his fists flying.

Loki ducked. "Tricked you!" he laughed.

Thor glanced between the two Loki's, as the one that was held the fire lit up with the emerald flames and disappeared.

"LOKI!" Thor said angrily.

"What? You did want to see a trick, did you not?" Loki asked, the picture of innocence.

Thor crossed his arms and glared at his little brother.

"The fire was just an illusion as well, it didn't even give off heat," Loki explained. "Not that I can't make a real fire..." He added, grinning mischievously.

"Don't you dare!" Thor said vehemently, clutching at his long hair protectively.

Loki laughed, before staggering and catching himself on the wall. He cursed himself under his breath; he kept forgetting how tired he still was.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," Loki said, stifling a yawn.

Thor shook his head, smiling to himself. "Go to bed, Loki. You'll feel better in the morning."

"It's not even that late," Loki protested.

"Loki," Thor said seriously. "Get some sleep."

"Yes mother," Loki rolled his eyes. But he disappeared nonetheless.

* * *

Appearing back in his room, Loki cursed again as the world swayed beneath him. Each time he used magic made it worse, so why did he keep using it?

Groggily Loki changed into his night clothes and made his way over to his bed, collapsing into the blankets. He was asleep almost before his eyes had closed.

* * *

Loki sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. He stared around the darkness in panic as he tried to keep himself from sobbing in fear, the images of flames and destruction burned behind his eyes, and the echoes of the screams still ringing through his ears. The shadows seemed to close in around him, and he shivered. Quickly making up his mind he dashed across the cold floor and threw himself at his door, a moment of hysteria taking over him when it didn't open. He couldn't be locked in, not here, not now. Not with his own mind after him.

Forcing himself to take deep breaths, he concentrated all his magic on the lock.

* * *

"...Thor?"

Thor opened his eyes blearily, to see the silhouette of Loki standing in front of him.

In moments he was fully awake. He lifted up the covers, and Loki crawled in, snuggling beside him. He was covered in sweat.

"Another nightmare?" Thor asked softly.

Loki just nodded.

"It was just a dream," Thor said comfortingly, hugging his brother's trembling form close. "Everything's alright now. You're safe. I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you."

Slowly, slowly, Loki's shaking stopped.

* * *

**If it's all the same to you, I'll have those reviews now. (Eheheheh XD)**

**So! The poll is, Spearmint: 2, Mint/Chocolate: 2, and Mongosteen: 1. Thank you to those who participated! I'm sure doctorscompanion appreciates it ^.^  
**

**Happy New Year!  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you so much to everyone who has faved, alerted, and reviewed! *-* I can't thank you enough!  
**

**I hope you all enjoy :D  
**

* * *

One of the guards was walking along his morning patrol, which among other locations took him by the princes' bed chambers. He noticed that the air smelled of burnt wood and metal, and as he came around the corner he froze, gaping at the younger prince's door. It was hanging open on its deformed hinges, and was almost entirely scorched black. The lock had been completely melted and dripped down the door like golden candle wax.

A feeling of dread crept up inside him, and he turned and ran to get the Queen.

* * *

Frigga followed the panicked guard to her sons' chambers. Seeing the state of Loki's door her eyes widened, and she strode into the room, the wood complaining as she did so.

Everything was perfectly intact.

Forming an idea of what had happened, she walked down the hallway to Thor's chambers and entered quietly. She was greeted by the sight of both her sons sleeping soundly in Thor's bed. Smiling softly, she turned to exit the room.

"Mother?" Thor raised his head, blinking confusedly.

Crossing over to the bed she sat down, stroking the long strands of hair from his face. "How is Loki?" She asked.

"He had another nightmare," Thor explained, his eyes softening as he looked down at his little brother's sleeping form. "I think he slept much better in here though. He barely talked in his sleep, and he wasn't tossing and turning a whole lot."

Frigga nodded. "Did he says what it was about? It must have been pretty bad, seeing as the state of his door."

"He didn't say," Thor answered. "What happened to his door?"

"Let's just say his door isn't locked anymore," Frigga said, beginning to stroke her younger son's hair. "You're door isn't quite as bad though. The lock is unsalveagable, but there are barely any burn marks."

Thor sighed, looking at his brother sadly. "I wish I could make his nightmares stop." Thor shivered, remembering the fear in his brother's eyes. "He's always so terrified, and I can't _do _anything about it."

"But you're there for him," Frigga pointed out.

"Yes," Thor nodded resolutely, "I'll always be there for him."

Frigga could feel the heat at the back of her eyes, and she threw her arms around her eldest child. "Make sure you always remember that," She whispered, her warm breath tickling his ear.

She rose, laughing slightly. "Now, I better go calm the guard down before he goes and gets Odin all worked up. Breakfast will be here in about half an hour." The Queen smiled at her children once more, before exiting the room.

"Thor," Thor jumped, realizing that Loki was awake. The younger boy smiled at him, blinking his green eyes in the morning light. "I'll always be there for you too."

* * *

Sif, Hogun and Fandral sat behind their now empty plates, as Volstagg continued to eat heartily. Sif tapped a butterknife incessantly on the table in boredom. Fandral held a mirror in front of his face as he fussed with his hair, trying to comb it into place, while Hogun attempted to become a statue.

"Well," Sif said after a while, "This is eventful."

* * *

"WHAT happened to Loki's door?!" Odin demanded.

"It—" A guard stammered.

Suddenly Frigga swept into the room, placing a hand on the guard's shoulder and nodding for him to leave, which he did gratefully.

"Loki had a nightmare," Frigga explained, "And the door was locked."

Odin opened his mouth, before closing it, sighing. "At least he doesn't scream anymore."

Suddenly a scream echoed down the hallways.

"Oh dear," Frigga sighed. "Not again."

* * *

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" The King bellowed as he strode into the dining hall. Hogun was trembling, sitting on a chair with his knees tucked to his chest, as Fandral guffawed.

"Hogun is afraid of spiders!" The blond boy hooted, "Oh this is just brilliant!"

"Get it away from me!" Hogun hissed.

Sif rolled her eyes, flicking the spider of the table with a butterknife and promptly stepping on it.

"Hogun," The Allfather said severely, walking over. "You do not need to be afraid of spiders. They WILL NOT hurt you! A warrior of Asgard, or a future warrior of Asgard, should not show such fear. Especially not over as trivial a thing as a spider. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded.

"Good." And with that the King walked away.

Fandral turned to Sif. "That eventful enough for you?"

* * *

Seeing Loki's door, Thor's blue eyes widened.

"In my defense, the door had it coming," Loki said, smiling lopsidedly. "I needed to get to you, and it was in my way."

"I pity the fool who ever dares try to separate us," Thor laughed.

"That would be Odin," Loki pointed out.

Footsteps echoed up the stairs, and the two boys quickly ran back into Thor's room.

A minute later a servant came in bearing two plates of breakfast.

"Thank you," Loki nodded, elbowing Thor to do the same.

"What?" Thor looked at his brother, who was glaring at him. "Oh right! Thank you," He told the servant.

"Really Thor," Loki said, once they were once again alone, "Must I always have to remind you of your manners?"

Thor mumbled something, but since his mouth was already full it was nearly impossible to tell what he'd said.

Loki just shook his head.

* * *

**Eheheh I know this chapter was sort of random... there should be more action and mischief coming up though! And as you can tell I've definitely been into the brotherly fluff recently ^.^ I hope it wasn't too sappy... ?  
**

**Doctorscompanion: Glad to help! Mind telling us the results? :D  
**

**Odin hates reviews. Because for some reason, for each review, something else blows up.  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you so much to all the lovely people who alerted, favorited, and reviewed! Your support means so much to me! To the people who reviewed, I'm afraid I couldn't think of 10 individual things to be blown up, but I think it's safe to say there's a good amount of destruction, Odin will get a headache, and you are all amazing *-***

**Eheheh, it turns out a lot of people don't like doors ^.^ Anyway, I'm updating even later than I usually update late... sorry! I kind of had a hard time writing this chapter...  
**

**But I hope you enjoy! :D  
**

* * *

"Workers will be up here soon to fix the doors." The servant said, returning after the princes had finished their breakfast.

"Very well. Oh, don't worry about the plates," Loki said, as the servant made to take them. "We'll take them to the Kitchen ourselves. We don't want to trouble you, and I'm sure you have other duties to attend to."

The servant looked slightly confused, but she bowed her head and left.

"Could you not just fix the doors with magic?" Thor asked.

"If I wanted to," Loki admitted, as he stepped out into the hallway carrying his plate."But I don't."

"Why are we doing this exactly?" Thor said as he grabbed his own plate and trotted after his little brother.

"We can't be grounded in our rooms since the doors won't lock, and I don't plan on sticking around for Odin to come up here, and waiting for them to be fixed so we can be stuck inside again. Returning the plates is just an alibi. Everyone still probably has hangovers from the feast, so we'll get the entire Library to ourselves!" Loki said gleefully.

Thor groaned. "I would rather we go to the training yard," He complained, "Books are so dull."

"That's because you don't read any of the books. You just use them to lob at people's heads," Loki teased, smirking.

"That was only once!" Thor protested, "Although I have to admit that huge book with tiny text that had no plot—"

"The dictionary," Loki interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"—Made for a good weapon." Thor continued.

After they returned the plates, they came hurried to the Library.

The huge room smelled of old books, which wasn't surprising considering each wall was lined with them. Loki walked over to the ceiling-high book shelves and began running his hand along the spines as he searched for something.

"Thor," Loki gestured his brother over, "Could you help me?" he pointed to a large book that was out of his reach.

Thor walked over, glancing up at the book Loki was pointing too. It was made of dark leather and didn't have a title. "I can't reach it," he pointed out.

"I know. I need you to let me stand on your shoulders," Loki said. Thor didn't look entirely pleased with the idea.

"Unless you have a better suggestion?" Loki asked. Sighing, Thor knelt down, and Loki stepped onto his shoulders, crouching. Thor stood up, and Loki straightened, letting go of Thor's hands and balancing, he grabbed the book. It didn't budge, so he yanked on it.

With a cry, Loki tumbled backwards, the book in his hands.

"LOKI!" Thor exclaimed, as his brother tumbled to the floor. He rushed over to Loki's side. "Are you alright?"

"Perfectly fine," Loki giggled. He pushed himself to his feet and carried the book over to the ancient wood table, setting it down heavily. "I don't know why they have to put all the magic books out of my reach. Now where is that spell..." He flipped through the worn pages.

"Aha! Found it!" He read it carefully a few times, murmuring under his breath, before he slammed the book shut.

Loki turned to grin impishly at his brother.

"Oh no," Thor groaned.

* * *

The Allfather looked up to see one of the workers that had been assigned to repairing his sons' doors.

"What is it?" He asked, as the worker looked at him worriedly. "You can fix the problem, right?"

"Yes. The doors are being replaced," The worker answered. "It's just, the princes aren't there."

"WHAT?!" Odin roared, standing up.

The worker shrunk away. "The doors are broken, sir, there was nothing keeping them in. They must have run off."

The King looked as if he was about to yell again, but he stopped himself. "Don't worry about it, I'll find them." He growled. Shouldn't be too hard, he thought wearily.

Just as the worker left, one of the guards stormed in. "Sir!" He exclaimed, "One of the spare stables just blew up!"

Odin roared furiously. "LOKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

* * *

Loki had just put the book back in its place, when they heard something explode, startling them and causing Loki to once again fall off Thor's shoulders.

"What was that?!" Thor exclaimed.

"I don't know. Let's go find out!" Loki said, jumping up off the floor and running from the Library, Thor right on his heels.

They burst out into the courtyard, just in time to see a tree spontaneously go up in flames.

"What in Asgard?!" Thor yelped. Loki dove behind him to avoid the wave of heat. Looking around, they saw that there was a line of flaming destruction, which had already demolished a few of the stables, and part of the training grounds. Guards were running around yelling incoherently, and a few of them seemed to be trying to chase something, but as they ran suddenly the tack room beside them exploded, knocking them to the ground.

"Thor, go make sure there aren't any horses in the stables," Loki shouted above the din. Thor nodded, dashing off.

Loki sprinted past the guards, seeing a streak of green. He rolled out of the way, ducking behind a rock as sparks and debris rained down from the suddenly flaming fence that separated the courtyard from the training grounds. Loki tracked the pattern of explosions, noticing how whatever was causing it seemed to be traveling in confused circles. He got up and made his way to the are he predicted was in the next line of fire, standing tense with his back pressed up against a tree.

Just as the tree was hit, Loki threw himself out from behind it, barely managing to catch the blur as it sped by.

Loki was knocked to the ground, his eyes watering and stinging from the smoke. Whatever it was squirmed in his grasp, and still clutching the creature he got up and stumbled away from the blistering hot flames.

* * *

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Odin roared, rushing out of the castle to see most of the courtyard and surrounding areas smoking and destroyed.

"Father!" Thor shouted, leading a group of terrified horses. "Something is igniting things and making them explode, and I don't know where Loki is!"

"This is all Loki's doing, isn't it?" The Allfather growled.

Thor looked at him aghast. "What? No! We heard the commotion so we came to see what was going on. He told me to save the horses, but now I don't know what happened to him! What if he got hurt?"

"But who else could of done this?!" The King demanded, gesturing at the chaos.

Thor just shoved the reigns of the horses into Odin's hands and ran off.

"LOKI! Brother where are you?!" Thor shouted desperately as he crashed through the debris.

Hearing racking coughing, he turned to see Loki stagger out of the smoke.

"Brother!" Thor cried, rushing over to him. "Are you alright? What happened?"

The creature in Loki's arms growled, and Thor glanced down at it, only to find himself staring into the eyes of a dragon no larger than a cat.

* * *

**Um, yeah... I honestly had no idea that was going to happen XD They like to surprise me... **

**Please review and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you *-***

**Doctorscompanion: You're very welcome! And thank you so much for reviewing! And for letting us know the results of the poll ^.^  
**

**And in case any of you are curious, the results for Doctorscompanion's poll was 41% spearmint, 32% coffee, 10% licorice, and 17% other (out of a hundred people.) :D  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**Eeeeeee thank you so much to all the lovely people who have alerted, faved, and reviewed! *-* You are all truly amazing! **

**And so, without further ado, I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D  
**

* * *

"Is that a dragon?!" Thor asked, his eyes widening.

"Her name is Tanis," Loki said, his voice raspy. He stroked the dragon's head, and she trilled happily. "Tanis, this is my brother, Thor." Loki introduced, tilting his head towards his brother.

Tanis stuck a forked tongue in Thor's direction.

"That was rude!" Thor said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Loki tried to laugh, but instead broke into another fit of coughing. "Thor, that's what dragons do. They 'taste the air,' so to speak. She isn't trying to be rude."

"Oh, okay," Thor said, though still slightly confused. "How can you tell the dragon's a girl?"

"See these spines?" Loki said, running a finger along the ridge of pointed scales on Tanis's back, "See how they curve back to point towards her tail and are shaped sort of like claws? Well, it's like that for females, but the males the spines are more triangular, and don't curve so much."

"I don't really understand..." Thor said honestly.

"That's how you tell," Loki shrugged. "It's not my fault you've never felt it worth your time to read about dragons. Or to read at all, really."

"Can I pet her?" Thor asked hopefully.

"Of course. Just be gentle," Loki said, as Thor reached out and softly stroked Tanis's head.

"You know, you never answered my question," Thor said, looking down into Loki's confused face. "Are you alright?" Thor said seriously.

"I'm standing, aren't I?" Loki grinned.

"That's not an answer."

"I think I might have a few burns," Loki admitted, "And my lungs are full of smoke. But other than that, I'm fine."

Tanis hummed apologetically.

"It wasn't your fault. You were scared and lost," Loki said to her. "Though speaking of lost, how did you get here anyway?"

"Wait, Tanis can understand you? And you can understand her?" Thor asked, bewildered.

"Sort of," Loki said. "I read a book on how dragon's communicate, and dragons are more intelligent than many in Asgard believe."

"You've read a book on how dragon's communicate," Thor stated blankly.

"Aye," Loki nodded. "I've made it a goal to read every book in the library. I'm currently halfway through the section on Dangerous-Creatures-of-The-Nine-Realms."

Thor just blinked at him a couple times. "Alright," he said. "I suggest we go find mother. She's probably worried sick about us."

"Agreed," Loki said, as Tanis climbed up his shirt to sit on his shoulder. "What do you say, Tanis? You ready to meet the Queen of Asgard?"

* * *

"Odin, what's going on? Where are Loki and Thor?" Frigga demanded, coming up to her husband who was holding the reigns of several frightened horses and surveying the damaged courtyard.

"I'm not sure what happened," Odin said, not even considering lying to his wife. "Thor handed me all these horses, and then he ran off to look for Loki."

"Which way?" Frigga asked.

The Allfather pointed in the direction of the training grounds, and Frigga strode off to look for her sons, leaving Odin to continue trying to calm down the horses.

* * *

Frigga picked her way through the burnt trees towards the demolished fence around the training grounds,

"Mother!" Thor suddenly cried, rushing out from behind some wreckage to throw his arms around her.

"Thor!" Frigga said happily, hugging him back. "Where is your brother?"

"Right here," Loki said, walking over, covered in ash. A small dragon perched on his shoulder.

Frigga gasped, her expression somewhere between worry, shock, and delight.

The dragon was dark green with a long and lean body that was all angles. Its eyes were gold, with slitted pupils, and its slender tail wrapped around the back of Loki's neck.

"Mother, this is Tanis. Tanis, this my mother, Frigga, the Queen of Asgard." Loki introduced them.

"You're very beautiful, Tanis," Frigga smiled, "A pleasure to meet you."

Tanis trilled, bobbing her head up and down a couple times, making the Queen laugh.

"Can we keep her, mother?" Thor asked hopefully.

"Please?" Loki added, as he and Thor made pleading faces.

"We'll see," Frigga said. "But what happened? Did Tanis cause all this?" She gestured to the still smoking destruction.

"Yes. But she was lost and scared. You can't blame her, really." Loki said. "It's not like she was wreaking havoc for fun, she was just trying to keep herself alive."

"How did you catch her?" Frigga asked curiously.

Loki told her, and Frigga nodded, but her eyes locked onto Loki's hands. "Show me your hands, Loki," She ordered gently.

Loki hesitantly held them out, showing the burnt flesh.

"Anywhere else?" She asked.

"A little bit," Loki allowed, "But it's not that bad."

"Thor, take your brother up to the Healer's. And if anyone gives you trouble about Tanis, tell them she is a royal guest. Alright?"

"Yes, mother," Thor said. He gently took Loki by the elbow and led him towards the castle.

* * *

Odin handed the rest of the reigns to the guards, ordering them to let the horses graze in one of the fields until the stables could be rebuilt.

"Did you find them?" Odin asked as he saw his wife come over.

"Yes," Frigga said, "They're headed to the Healer's Room because Loki got burned."

"Loki caused this disaster, didn't he?" The Allfather said angrily.

"No!" Frigga said, glaring at him. "Not everything is Loki's fault, Odin."

The King sighed. "Sorry. It's just that it actually _is _his fault a lot of the time."

"He only does harmless pranks. You know he'd never do anything that would hurt anyone," Frigga pointed out.

"Alright, alright. But if it wasn't Loki, what was it?" The Allfather asked.

"A dragon."

"A DRAGON?!"

* * *

One of the healer's finished tending to Loki's various burns, casting a nervous glance at the dragon that now perched on Thor's shoulder before exiting the room, just as the King burst in.

Odin glared down at his two son's. "Because you two helped out with the situation in the courtyard, you will not be further punished for this. But you disobeyed direct orders and left your rooms when you should be grounded, and there will be consequences."

Thor fidgeted nervously and Tanis hissed, while Loki's expression was one of dumb insolence.

"Your mother has convinced me however, that to prolong the amount of time you are grounded would bring about only negative effects, therefore it has been decided that instead, for four hours each day, Loki will have to help out in the Healer's Room, and Thor will be helping the weapon smith. As for the dragon," The Allfather glared at the creature, who seemed to glare back. "You are allowed to keep it as long as it doesn't cause any trouble. But as soon as anything happens, the dragon is gone. Understood?"

"Yes father."

"Good." Satisfied he had made his point, Odin left the room.

"Well," Loki said, breaking the silence. "That could have gone worse."

* * *

**Yes, Loki and Thor now have a pet dragon! I kind of didn't even have a choice, seeing as how that's what everybody seems to have wanted ^.^ **

**Credit for the dragon's name goes to Kaisha Shiori :D (Apparently Tanis means "serpent" in Latin)  
**

**Review and let me know what you think! *gets elbowed by Loki* Ahem... please ^.^  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**A GARGANTUAN (eheheh that word's fun to say :3) thanks to everybody who has alerted, faved, and reviewed! *-* It means Yggdrasil and the all Nine Realms to me!**

**Also, gamingcharacter has drawn an amazing picture of Tanis and Loki! I highly suggest you check it out :D Just paste the following link in your webrowser, delete the spaces, and delete the parenthesis and everything inside them except for the italic letters. And hopefully that SHOULD work! **

**gamingcharacter . deviantart . (insert a _c_, an _o_, and an _m_) / gallery / 38703936#/d5ri85u  
**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

When Loki appeared in Thor's chambers the next morning, Thor was sitting on his bed sulking.

"Greetings brother," Loki grinned, sauntering over with his hands resting gingerly in his coat pockets.

"Ugh, I have to go work with the weapon smith," Thor complained, falling flat on his back and glaring at the ceiling.

"Right. Blazing fires, hammers, sharp metal, and you, all in the same room. What could possibly go wrong?" Loki said, smirking as Thor sat up and glowered at him.

"Is that 'sarcasm'?" Thor asked, unamused. "Because you are not helping."

"Surely it's better than being grounded to our rooms the entire time," Loki pointed out.

"There is truth in what you speak," Thor admitted grudgingly. "But I still don't like it."

"You will once you get there, trust me. You get to hit things. Which is your favorite pastime, is it not?" Loki laughed, his eyes teasing.

A smile tugged at the corners of Thor's lips. "What, you mean like this?" He said, taking his pillow and whacking Loki with it.

At least he tried to whack Loki. But the pillow went right through him as the image of Loki dissipated, the real Loki appearing right behind his brother.

"See you later," Loki smirked. "And by the way—your door's unlocked." He nodded towards the newly installed door with his head, never once removing his hands from his pockets, before he disappeared again.

* * *

Loki headed down the stairs to the Healer's Room, Tanis tagging along beside him, her nails clicking on the stone floor. She hadn't parted from him once, she'd even spent the night curled up around his feet.

"Prince Loki," One of the healer's said kindly, as she gestured the boy over. "How are your burns fairing?"

"Significantly better," Loki lied. He'd spent the night with his hands clutched to his chest, trying not to let the damaged skin brush against the sheets. He'd had to get up several times in the middle of the night to run them under cold water, hissing air through his teeth and blinking back tears.

The healer took one of his hands gently and examined it, frowning slightly. "Here, give me your hands," she commanded gently. Loki tried not to wince as she placed her hands over the burnt flesh on his palms. He watched, fascinated, as she began murmuring incantations under her breath. Loki could feel the magic tingling in the air, pulsing through his hands as they healed. When she pulled away, his skin was once again pale and unblemished.

"Why didn't you do this last night?" Loki asked curiously, Tanis started climbing up his pant leg. He picked her up and set her on his shoulder where she nuzzled around his neck.

"I thought the burns would have already healed," The healer shrugged, though she looked slightly puzzled. "I guess they were worse than I'd originally thought. Wait here a second, will you?" she said, as a group of wounded warriors were brought into the room.

Loki drifted into a corner so as to be out of the way of the healers as they bustled about. It wasn't as busy as the Kitchens, but there was a fair amount of activity. What with the constant fighting there was never a lack of wounded Asgardians.

Loki caught snatches of conversation between the healer's and the guards who'd brought in the patients.

"What happened?"

"There was a hunt the other day..."

"...They'd been out there for almost a fortnight, looking for the beast..."

"...That's what happens when you go after dragons..."

Loki closed his eyes.

* * *

"I thought you were supposed to be helping in the Healer's Rooms," Heimdall remarked, not even turning around as Loki appeared behind him.

"But I am," Loki said innocently. "I'm merely here seeking information."

Heimdall pierced Loki with his amber gaze. "About the dragon," he said, but it wasn't a question.

"You are correct. How many were there?"

"Two."

"They killed one of them, yes?" Loki inquired.

"Yes. But the other got away."

"Did they notice the other got away?"

"No. The dragon's presence was never known. Not until later, at least."

"When she found her way to the castle grounds, you mean."

"Indeed."

"But they killed her mother?"

"Correct."

Loki paused thoughtfully. "Where did she live?" he asked.

"In the mountains at the edge of Asgard and Vanaheim," The gatekeeper answered. "And you might want to get back to the Healer's Room, they could use your help."

"Of course," Loki smiled, "Thank you for your cooperation."

As the illusion of Loki vanished, Heimdall chuckled fondly. "Odin certainly has his hands full with that one," The gatekeeper then turned his gaze back towards Asgard, sighing at what he saw.

"And with Thor as well."

* * *

"This weapon, I like it!" Thor exclaimed, bring the hammer down once again on the piece of metal he was working on. "I think I shall have father get me one of these!"

"A hammer is a tool, not a weapon," The smith said exasperatedly.

"Then it should be a weapon," Thor declared, as he continued to pound the metal into a vaguely sword-like shape. "One could do much damage with such a 'tool' in battle!"

"Stick the blade back in the fire. The metal has cooled down; you aren't going to make progress like that," the smith instructed. Thor happily thrust the piece of scrap metal into the fire, removing it once it was glowing orange and proceeding to hammer it again, sending up a flurry of sparks.

The smith sighed. He'd had the prince feeding the fire wood and pumping the bellows, as was an apprentices job, but he'd gotten upset until allowed a hammer and something to hit.

Ah well, the smith figured, at least it kept the boy entertained and out of the way. The man turned to try to get some real work done.

"OW! MY HAND!" Thor yelled, dropping the hammer, which then landed on his foot. "OW NOW MY FOOT AS WELL!"

The smith resisted the urge to bang his head against the anvil, instead putting his hands on the prince's shoulders and turning the boy to face him.

"Let me see," he said gruffly. Thor showed him his hand. His fingers were turning red and were looked as if they might be broken, which, considering how hard the boy had been swing the hammer, wouldn't have been surprising.

"I think you're done here for the day. Why don't you head up to the Healing Room?" he suggested.

Thor nodded and turned to leave, before stopping as if somebody had elbowed him. "Uh..." he turned back to face the smith. "Thank you?"

The smith raised his eyebrows, before smiling slightly. "You're welcome."

* * *

**I guess Loki always telling Thor to use his manners is paying off ^.^ **

**Please review and let me know what you think! :D  
**


	25. Chapter 25

******Thank you so much to everyone for all your support! I love you all *-***

**I'm so sorry I'm updating really late again! It's just that I had absolutely no time today, and couldn't start writing till 1:30am... and I would be really exhausted, BUT I had caffeine, so I'm not tired at all right now! (I almost NEVER have caffeine O.O) Good thing I did though, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to have written this chapter.  
**

**Anyway, enough of my rambling excuses... I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

"Loki."

Loki opened his eyes. The healer was standing by one of the beds, gesturing him over.

"Would you like to see how it's done?" She asked. Loki motioned for Tanis to remain in the shadows. Walking over to the bed, he stared down apathetically at the injured warrior. The man was badly burned on his left side, and had a large gash in his right leg that was still bleeding.

The healer went about cleaning his wounds, as the warrior complained loudly.

"Ouch, that hurts! Careful, the beast took a huge chunk out of my leg there. Got what it deserved, the vile creature."

Loki glared at him, and the man slowly shut up and turned his head away, unable to hold Loki's scathing look.

After the healer had cleaned all the wounds, she placed her hands over them, speaking the incantations just loudly enough for Loki to hear.

Loki watched with interest as muscle and sinew wove back together, skin growing back over the exposed flesh.

As soon as she was done, the healer moved on to the next patient.

Loki lingered behind a moment, continuing to stare at the man as he stood up and tested his weight on his newly healed leg.

"Why?" Loki asked.

The man looked at him.

"Why did you kill that dragon?"

"Because it was dangerous!" The warrior said.

"Are you telling me that you go out and hunt all potentially dangerous creatures? She hadn't even done anything to you! There haven't been any reports on dragon attacks recently. Are you saying she was a threat that must be disposed of simply because of her very existence, even when she hasn't done anyone any harm? Because she's a _monstrous beast?" _Loki hissed.

"Didn't you see what the creature did to me?!" The warrior said indignantly.

"Oh, and who attacked first? You and the rest of your men, or the dragon?" Loki inquired coldly, as the man continued to frown at him. "Dragons are thinking, intelligent beings, not mindlessly brutal monsters. They don't hunt for mere fun. No, they are nowhere near as cruel as the likes of you," Loki spat, before turning on his heels.

* * *

The next time the warrior unsheathed his sword, he dropped it, yelping in pain as it burned his hand. He watched, horror-struck, as the blade inexplicably melted into a puddle of molten metal.

* * *

A while later, Thor came into the Healer's Room, cradling his left hand to his chest. He stared around in surprise at the bustling chambers.

"What brings you here, brother?" Loki asked, walking up from behind Thor.

"Loki!" Thor exclaimed, jumping slightly. "Why do you always have to do that?"

"Do what?" Loki asked innocently.

"Sneak up on me like that! Can you never just come from the front like a normal person?" Thor replied, annoyed.

"Now what would be the fun of that," Loki smirked. His eyes landed on Thor's hand, and he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I hit myself with the hammer..." Thor muttered, looking down and biting his lip.

"Why am I not surprised?" Loki asked rhetorically, as he took Thor's right hand and led him to a chair.

"I'd call a healer over, but I'm afraid they're busy attending to people with significantly worse injuries, who get healing priority," Loki explained, as Thor sat down. "But I've observed them work for a few hours now, and I've seen them heal many broken bones, so I believe I could successfully repair your hand, should you allow me to try."

"Have you done such a thing before?" Thor asked.

"I could say yes if it would comfort you, but I'd be lying," Loki said honestly. "But I doubt any of the healers will be available for another hour or two. If you'd like to wait..."

"No, that's alright. I trust you," Thor attempted to smile through his gritted teeth.

Loki gently took Thor's left hand in both of his own, examining his brother's broken fingers. Deftly he snapped the bones back into their correct positions, resulting in a pained gasp from Thor, who squeezed his eyes shut in the attempt not to cry.

"Sorry," Loki said, looking at his brother empathetically. "But it wouldn't do for your fingers to be healed crooked."

He began murmuring to himself, and a faint green glow encompassed Thor's hand.

* * *

"Sorry that took so long," Loki apologized, as Thor flexed his hand. "But I didn't want to take any chances of making any mistakes."

"Loki, you are amazing," Thor said in awe. "How could you learn how to do this in not but a few hours?"

Loki grinned shyly. "It's significantly easier to learn by observation of someone who knows what they're doing, than by reading instructions in a magic book. And once you have an good idea of how magic works, it isn't that difficult to apply it to other areas."

"Thank you so much, brother," Thor said, suddenly engulfing Loki in a hug.

"Thor..." Loki gasped for breath.

"Sorry," Thor let go and looked at his younger brother sheepishly.

"It's fine," Loki said, grinning at him. "I'm glad you seem to be remembering your manners."

Thor grinned back proudly. "I even remember to thank the weapon smith!"

Loki's reply was interrupted by a sudden comotion.

"DRAGON!" One of the warriors yelled.

"He must have spotted Tanis," Loki whispered, widening his eyes.

In a moment Loki had grabbed Tanis and deposited her in his brother's arms, pushing him out the door.

"Take her back to your chambers with you," Loki said, a note of desperation in his voice. "Don't let her be seen by any of the warriors!"

"A DRAGON IN ASGARD! KILL THE BEAST!"

As Thor left, Loki suddenly appeared beside the warrior who'd cried out.

"What dragon?" Loki asked, his face one of concerned confusion.

"It-it was just right there!" the warrior said, pointing to the corner empty corner of the room.

Everyone in the room stared at the two of them.

Loki walked over and inspected where the man pointed, and finding no signs of there ever having been a dragon, returned back to the man.

"You must be imagining things," Loki said comfortingly, patting the man's arm. He sent a wink at the healers.

"B-but, I could have sworn!" The warrior stammered.

"After having fought that dragon, it's only normal that you would be seeing images of dragons out of the corner of your eyes," Loki lowered his voice, "It's a natural side effect of the fear you must of felt while fighting such a powerful creature. It is usually looked down upon to show such weakness, but don't worry about it; I won't tell anybody."

The warrior flushed in embarrassment, as Loki smiled at him sweetly, before walking away.

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW DESPITE MY HYPER-NESS AND THEREFORE ME WRITING THE AUTHOR NOTE IN CAPSLOCK AND ASKING FOR REVIEWS IN SUCH AN AWKWARD FASHION :3 **


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you so much to everyone who has alerted, favorited, and reviewed! *-* You peeps are AMAZING!**

**I hope you enjoy that chapter :D  
**

* * *

Thor stumbled into the hall, straightening up and walking purposefully back to his chambers.

"You heard Loki," Thor murmured to Tanis, "No being seen!"

Tanis purred affirmatively, crawling under Thor's long hair and lying around the back of his neck, her tail wrapped around his throat like a choker necklace.

"Okay... good hiding spot," Thor muttered concededly, as one of the guards passed by without sparing them a second glance.

Thor got up to his chambers without any incidents, except for one of the castle staff asking him what was so funny. Thor had just shrugged and hurried off, not about to explain that there was a dragon hiding in his hair and tickling his ear.

* * *

When Loki was finally excused, he stepped out into the hall, walking back towards his chambers. There was a fair amount of activity, but as soon as Loki came into a dessert corridor he teleported himself to Thor's room.

As soon as he appeared, Thor whirled around, pointing one of his training swords at Loki.

"To what do I owe this hostility?" Loki asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Sorry!" Thor said, lowering the weapon. "You startled me."

"Oh? More startling than your chambers catching on fire?" Loki said, as the room started growing smoky.

"What?" Thor said confusedly, as he turned towards where Loki was looking, to see flames leaping out of the closet."TANIS!" Thor yelled. "Loki, can you put it out?"

"If you say so," Loki snapped his fingers once. Suddenly water swept out from the closet, quickly flooding the room.

"LOKI!" Thor shrieked, as the rush of water knocked them both over.

"I put it out, didn't I?" Loki gasped, popping up beside his brother, dark hair dripping.

"BY FLOODING MY ROOM!" Thor protested.

Tanis slithered through the water, climbing onto Loki's shoulder and digging her claws into his tunic. She trilled at him.

"Really?" Loki said, a mischievous smile curling across his lips. He swam over to the door and opened it.

The wave of water rushed out of the room, carrying Loki, Thor, and Tanis along with it.

And crashing straight into Odin.

"WHAT—" the Allfather started, before he found himself being swept down the stairs.

Several flights later, they were deposited down, soaking wet.

"Oops," Loki managed, giggling. "I wondered what that spell did."

"LOKIIIIIIIIIII!" Odin roared furiously.

"That was so fun! Let's do it again!" Thor said excitedly, jumping up and down and splashing happily.

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" The Allfather bellowed, grabbing his two sons before they could take off.

"I'm sorry, father," Loki said, biting his lip and looking up at Odin piteously. "I didn't know that would happen. I was just trying to give Tanis a bath, but the situation got a little out of control..."

"You were trying to give the dragon a bath," Odin said, disbelievingly.

"Yes. Thor was helping me, and he accidentally splashed me, so then I splashed him, and then he dumped the tub of water on my head, so I tried to get him back by summoning water with magic, except the spell was much stronger than I'd previously thought." Loki explained, looking down and shuffling his feet nervously. "I can fix it though," Loki added. He waved his hand, and all the water evaporated.

Tanis withdrew her talons from the shoulder of Loki's coat and jumped down, spreading her wings to slow her descent to a feather's pace. She then trotted behind the Allfather and promptly set his shoes on fire.

"BY THE BEARD OF BOR!" Odin yelled in surprise, letting go of his sons to stamp the fire out.

Loki and Thor wasted no time in taking off running.

* * *

**That's by far the shortest chapter I've written in a long time... sorry! And it's sort of random... I had trouble writing this chapter... stupid writers block O.O I want caffeine again... anyway, I can promise that the next chapter will be longer!  
**

**Please review! Loki is giving out hugs again ^.^  
**


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you all so much for all your support! I really can't say just how much it means to me *-* **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

Loki paused, glancing back to see that Tanis was keeping pace easily.

The dragon ran after the two boys, her legs moving at blurring speeds as she flapped her wings for momentum.

Thor began ascending the stairs back to their chambers, but Loki grabbed the back of his tunic, tugging him down the opposite corridor.

"We're already in trouble," Loki pointed out, as Thor looked at him questioningly as they continued to sprint down the hallways. "So we might as well go all the way, right?"

Thor grinned. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Loki said cryptically, leading the way through the castle's labyrinthine halls.

Soon enough, the Allfather's shouts faded away, and the only sounds were their own footsteps pattering across the stone floor.

Loki paused at a window that opened to the courtyard outside, though it was a fair deal higher than their heads. "Would you mind giving me a boost?" he asked.

Thor laced his fingers together, and Loki stepped onto his hands, jumping at the same time Thor tossed him upwards. He managed to grab the ledge, then he swung his left leg over the sill and managed to pull himself up. Leaning back over on his stomach, he extended his hand to Thor.

The older boy backed up to the opposite wall, before charging forward and leaping up to grab Loki's hand, his feet scrabbling for purchase on the stone as his younger brother helped him up.

"Ha! That was great," Thor exclaimed, holding up his hand. Loki grinned and gave him a high-five.

"Coming Tanis?" Loki asked, looking down at where the young dragon paced nervously at the based of the wall. "Don't worry, you can do it," Loki said encouragingly.

Tanis tensed her haunches and jumped, beating the air furiously with her wings as she landed beside them. She tried to stop herself, but ended up falling off the other side, causing her to chirp in surprise.

The boys giggled as she landed easily on her feet in the garden, shaking herself disparagingly.

"What now?" Thor said, as he and Loki vaulted after the dragon.

"Now," Loki answered, standing up and brushing the dirt from his hands, "We pick mother some flowers."

* * *

Frigga was in the royal armory, sharpening her favorite sword when Odin burst in angrily.

Frigga whirled around, pointing the sword at Odin's throat. The Allfather froze and stared down the blade nervously.

"Sorry!" Frigga laughed, lowering the sword, "You startled me."

"Sorry for startling you," Odin sighed, "It's just that Thor and Loki have run off again."

"I'm sure they're not far," Frigga smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about the havoc they'll cause," Odin said.

"They don't always cause havoc," Frigga pointed out.

"I'm sure they're up to something. They flooded a portion of the castle and swept me down several flights of stairs!" Odin protested, beginning to pace. "Whatever am I going to _do _with them?"

Frigga smiled. "I wish I'd been there."

Odin glared at her.

"You have to admit they're talented. Not just any youth could pull of the stunts that they do," Frigga said, a hint of pride in her voice.

"True," the Allfather said, turning to leave. "But that doesn't excuse troublesome behavior."

* * *

"Father left, come on!" Thor said eagerly, but Loki pulled him back behind against the wall.

"We can't go in right after father left, otherwise it would look suspicious," Loki explained.

Thor tapped his foot impatiently, but Loki stepped on his boot.

"Shh," Loki hissed.

Seconds later a group of guards walked by. Once they'd passed, Loki peered down the corridor, making sure the coast was clear. He gestured Thor forward with the hand that wasn't carrying the bouquet, and the two of them crept quietly down the hall, slipping inside the royal armory.

* * *

"Mother?"

Frigga turned in surprise. Thor and Loki stood together, Thor was bouncing up and down and grinning while Loki held his hands behind his back, smiling softly.

"We got you something!" Thor blurted, "Show her, Loki!"

From behind his back Loki produced a bouquet, the flowers varying colors of sunset. A bow of gold ribbon had been tied around them.

Frigga gasped in delight, taking the offered bouquet and breathing in their sweet aromas. "Thank you darlings, they're beautiful!" she smiled, engulfing her sons in a hug.

"So you like them?" Loki asked hopefully.

"Very much," Frigga said honestly, her eyes twinkling. "I shall have to find a vase for them." She began rummaging through the racks of weapons, before pulling an engraved metal vase out of a corner. "Aha! I knew there was one in here."

"A vase in the armory?" Loki asked curiously.

"You could lob it at people's heads!" Thor suggested.

Frigga just laughed. "I don't know what it's doing in here, I just remembered seeing it a while ago. Now come on; let's go find some water."

"Ooh, I know a spell!" Loki said eagerly, "Though it might be a little strong for such a purpose."

"Does that happen to be the same one you washed Odin down the stairs with?" Frigga asked, amused.

"It was just a bit of fun, really," Loki said guiltily.

"I'm sure it was," Frigga said kindly, "But I think, for the sake of these wonderful flowers, it might be safer to just find a faucet."

"Could we go to the river instead?" Thor said, looking at Frigga with pleading eyes.

"Please," Loki added, elbowing Thor.

"Please?" Thor amended.

Frigga laughed. "Of course."

* * *

**Technically it won't matter that they're grounded, because Frigga's taking them XD **

**Please review and let me know what you think! ^.^  
**


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you so much to everyone who has alerted, faved, and reviewed! I can't say just how much it means to me *-* You are all amazing! **

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter ^.^  
**

* * *

The slow current gushed softly along the banks, the water so clear that the bottom was easily visible, despite sloping to a few meters deep in the center. Tanis was waiting for them on the opposite bank, and upon seeing Frigga and the boys arrive she slipped into the river and swam across.

"You knew I would let you two go to the river, didn't you?" Frigga said, an amused smile playing at her lips.

"I had no such assumptions," Loki answered, looking up at her quizzically. Seeing her suspicious expression, he bit his lip, hurt. "You think we picked you the bouquet simply to get you to take us to the river? I can assure you, that was not my intention; I simply wanted to get you flowers in the hopes that you would enjoy them," Loki said honestly.

"And I do," Frigga murmured fondly, reaching over to brush the dark hair out of his eyes. "I was just teasing you, you little rascal."

"ODIN'S BEARD, THE WATER IS COLD!" Thor exclaimed, jerking back from where he'd stepped into the water. He'd rolled his trousers up past his knees, and his boots had been tossed carelessly at the base of one of the alder trees.

"Of course it's cold, the water comes from melted snow," Loki pointed out.

Thor grumbled, touching the surface of the water lightly with his toe, then recoiling.

"Oh, you want to see a spell?" Loki asked, his face brightening.

"Yes!" Thor exclaimed.

Loki knelt by the river bank. He began making gestures with his hands and whispering to himself, and as he did so, a curl of water rose up from the surface. Slowly it became more defined, till it resembled the head of a snake rising out of the river. It flicked its translucent tongue, swaying slightly, before striking at Loki and splashing him in the face.

Thor laughed, and Loki glared at him, his hair straight and dripping. He muttered something under his breath and suddenly an invisible force crashed into Thor, knocking the older boy into the river.

"LOKI!" Thor yelped, "THIS WATER IS FREEZING!"

"It's not freezing, actually. It's still liquid," Loki smirked, "But I could make it freezing if you'd like."

Thor splashed him, and as Loki wiped the water from his eyes, Thor grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him into the river.

Loki's head popped back up to the surface, and he and his brother glowered at each other.

Abruptly Tanis jumped into the river between the two boys, splashing them both in the face. She bobbed in the water, her snout twitching.

"CHOO!" She sneezed, fire streaming from her nostrils and creating a heavy steam as water on the surface evaporated upon contact.

Thor started laughing, and a small smile broke across Loki's face.

Tanis chirped at them, before slithering back to the bank and climbing up Frigga's gown to rest on the Queen's shoulder.

"Nice work, Tanis," Frigga murmured gratefully to the dragon, who flicked her tongue out in acknowledgement.

Thor slugged out of the river, turning to give his little brother a hand up.

"I guess I need to perfect granting magic to water," Loki sighed, once he was again on dry land.

"I was very impressed," Frigga said kindly. "There are not many who can perform such complex magic, and it's especially amazing that you can do so at such a young age."

Loki searched Frigga's face for any sign of a lie, and finding only honesty, he beamed.

A gust a wind blew through the trees and Thor shivered, his teeth chattering.

"Now, let's get the two of you inside and wearing dry clothes before you start turning blue from the cold," Frigga said, taking her sons by the hands and leading them towards the castle.

* * *

Thor sat in front of his fireplace, wearing dry clothes and wrapped in a bundle of blankets. The ends of his long hair was only just beginning to dry, despite the roaring flames.

"Your lips are starting to return to normal," Loki informed him, walking over still in his dripping tunic. "They had been nearly violet before."

"Brother, you're making me cold again just looking at you," Thor muttered. Loki smirked, shaking his head like a dog so the water spattered his brother. "LOKI!" Thor protested.

"Stop bothering your brother and go change," Frigga ordered gently, "You don't want either of you to catch cold."

"Yes mother," Loki said, before teleporting back to his own chambers.

* * *

**I borrowed the water snake idea from the animated film _Thor: Tales of Asgard_ :D **

**Reviews are always greatly appreciated! ^.^  
**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thank you so much to everyone who is reading this story, and for all your faves, alerts, and reviews! ****I love you all ^.^ **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

Odin rode down the bifrost, coming to a halt in front of Heimdall.

"Heimdall, where are Thor and Loki?" Odin demanded.

"Thor is in Thor's room, and Loki is in Loki's room. Wait, never mind—Loki is now in Thor's room as well." Heimdall answered, before adding "They are fine, sir. Frigga is with them."

"Did they cause any trouble?"

"None, sir."

"Good," Odin said, dismounting his steed. "Now, how are the Nine Realms?"

* * *

"Mother?" Loki asked, fiddling with the edge of his dry, green tunic. "Those warriors killed Tanis's mother for sport, didn't they?"

Hearing her name, Tanis looked up curiously from where she was basking in front of the fire, so close the flames were practically brushing her scales. She whimpered softly.

Frigga sighed, looking at him sympathetically. "Come here," she said, patting Thor's bed beside where she was sitting. Loki came over and sat down, leaning against her as she put her arms around him. "You do understand that dragons are not generally considered more than beasts to most of Asgard, right?"

"Yes. But she wasn't doing anything wrong!" Loki protested as he looked up at her, his pupils large in the dimming light. "Why do they enjoy hunting so, that they would slaughter such magnificent creatures without a glimmer of remorse?"

Frigga's expression was sad as she stroked her fingers through his dark hair. "Oh Loki, my child," She murmured softly.

Loki didn't say anything, just waited expectantly.

"The Aesir are a warrior race. We're fighters, hunters, guardians. Through times of peace, we sometimes grow restless. And though there are probably better means of doing so, hunting dangerous beasts is a way of satisfying that need for battle," Frigga tried to explain.

Loki sat quietly for several minutes. Finally, he said, "Would you read Thor and I a story?" He hopped off Thor's bed, and walked over to where Thor was still wrapped in a pile of blankets and watching the fire.

"Thor, where did you put your books away?" Loki asked, waving a hand in front of his brother's face.

Thor started and turned to look at him. "What books?" He asked, confused.

"Right, thank you!" Loki said, walking back to Thor's bed and crawling underneath. He returned seconds later with relatively thin leather-bound book, and sitting back on his heels he blew the dust off, before handing the book to Frigga and sitting next to her again. Loki conjured a ball of light for her to read by, and as soon as Thor joined them, curling up on Frigga's other side, she began reading.

* * *

"How are they?" Odin said, as Frigga closed Loki's door behind her.

"They're both asleep now," Frigga smiled. She held up vase of flowers, her eyes twinkling. "Will you help me find a place for these?"

* * *

**Oh my gods, that's REALLY short! I'm so sorry! Please don't kill me... O.O In my defense, I had no time to write until 1:00am, and I haven't been getting enough sleep lately (which is mostly my fault...) but, yeah... I promise the next chapter will significantly longer though! **

**Please review, despite the shortness! Your comments are greatly appreciated *-*  
**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you so much for all the support, loves! It makes me so insanely happy *-* **

**NOTE: I'm skipping ahead almost a month, to when Thor and Loki are done being grounded, as I had no further inspiration for them being confined to their chambers and getting into further trouble when they're already in trouble. I think they could be good boys for that long ^.^ **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

"FREEEEEEEEDOM!" Thor crowed, running out of his room gleefully and tearing down the stairs. Loki slid down the banisters after him, grinning despite himself.

"Make sure you behave yourselves!" Odin called after them. They'd somehow managed to make it through the month without getting into more trouble and having their punishment prolonged, and were finally allowed free reign of the castle grounds once again.

Sighing, the Allfather wondered just how long it would last.

* * *

Thor rushed out the castle doors towards the training field, hollering and whooping as he went, Loki right on his heels.

"MY FRIENDS!" Thor shouted, practically crashing into Sif and the three boys. He threw his arms around them and forced them into a group hug. "Never have I been more happy to see you!"

Loki watched them from a short distance away, leaning casually against a tree.

"Make sure you don't get grounded, okay?" Fandral laughed, slapping Thor on the back.

"No promises," Thor said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

"Let us celebrate your return with a feast!" Volstagg declared happily.

Sif rolled her eyes. "We just had breakfast," she pointed out.

"Not with Thor," Volstagg pouted. "Art thou not still hungry?"

Everybody shook their heads, and Volstagg slumped. "Does anyone know when lunch is then?"

"How about we play a game?" Thor suggested. "Like bilgesnipe-back racing!"

Immediately there was a mad dash for partners. Or rather, everybody rushed towards Thor, only to find that Loki had somehow gotten there first, his older brother's arm slung protectively around his shoulders as if he'd been standing there the whole time.

"Loki and I shall be a team!" Thor announced.

"How did you..." Sif stammered, glaring as Loki smiled innocently.

"Partners?" Fandral asked, turning to her questioningly.

"Fine," Sif consented, "But I refuse to be the one who gets carried!"

"Right," Thor said, "We'll start at the fence, and then we'll race to—"

"That apple tree?" Volstagg suggested, pointing to a tree near the center of the field.

Thor shook his head. "No, that's too close. We'll race to the other side of the training yard."

They all looked at the opposite fence, which was a good several hundred meters away.

Thor knelt down, and Loki hopped onto his back, hooking his arms around Thor's neck as the older boy stood up and held below Loki's knees.

Taking the cue, the others did the same, Sif carrying Fandral, and Volstagg carrying Hogun.

They all lined up at the back fence.

"On your mark, get set, GO!" Thor cried, and they all took off running.

"So long, losers!" Thor shouted, pulling ahead easily, as his speed was unaffected by the addition of Loki's light weight.

"Oh no you don't," Sif said. Thor slowed down enough for them to catch up, not wanting to miss out on the best part of the game.

Fandral kicked at them, hitting Loki in the leg and causing Thor to stumble. Growling, Thor came up beside them, and Loki, leaning to the right, unhooked his left leg from Thor's waist and delivered a swift kick to Sif's midsection.

Fandral yelped as Sif almost fell, but she regained her footing and retaliated by crashing into Thor.

"Take that!" Fandral said. He and Loki began a kick battle.

"Don't think you've lost us so easily!" Volstagg shouted, as he charged in between them, taking the lead and almost knocking them over as Hogun managed to kick both teams.

"REVENGE!" Thor cried, chasing after them. As they came upon the tree that marked the halfway point, Thor knocked into them, making Volstagg stumble and trip on a root, he and Hogun sprawling to the ground.

"Go get 'em, Sif!" Volstagg shouted. He got to his feet and, jumping, managed to pluck an apple from one of the lower branches, before sitting down against the trunk to eat and watch.

Hogun didn't get up from where he fell, simply rolling onto his stomach and resting his head on his hands. "You were going towards the tree anyway," he accused.

Volstagg grinned, not bothering to deny it. "No need to be so grim Hogun—have an apple!"

* * *

As Fandral kicked at him again, Loki reached out and grabbed his shoe, pulling it off and throwing it over his shoulder, where it happened to hit Hogun on the head.

Growling, Hogun chucked the shoe into a puddle of mud.

"GIVE ME BACK MY SHOE!" Fandral cried.

"Too late," Loki mouthed, smirking when Fandral lashed out at him. Loki squeezed Thor's shoulder and suddenly Thor sped up, quickly pulling ahead.

As Fandral kicked and punched at the empty air, it knocked Sif off balance, and they both tumbled to the ground.

"LOKIIIIII!" Fandral cried.

Loki whooped as Thor raced to the finish line, both of them laughing. "We won!" Thor said triumphantly.

"GET THEM!"

Thor turned around, to find that Fandral, Sif, and Hogun were all charging towards them, wicked grins on their faces.

"Uh oh," Thor muttered, before taking off again, Loki still clinging onto his back.

* * *

**I did promise you it would be longer, didn't I? ^.^ And yeah, I know Tanis wasn't in that chapter, but don't worry; I haven't forgotten about her! **

**Stalling won't change anything. REVIEW! (Please? :3)  
**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you all so much for your support! I'd also like to give a special shout to all my anonymous reviewers, as I can't thank you personally ^.^ Your comments are greatly appreciated! **

**Sorry for posting sort of late again... but I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"FLEEING IS HOPELESS!" Fandral yelled.

"Faster, Thor. Faster!" Loki said urgently, though the smile was evident in his voice.

"I am not a horse, brother," Thor grumbled, speeding up nonetheless.

Thor ran to the edge of the training field, Loki tightening his grip as Thor vaulted over the fence and into the forest.

"WE SHALL GET YOU!"

Thor charged through the underbrush, winding randomly through the trees. Loki ducked his head behind his brother's to avoid being whipped by the branches and leaves, muttering into Thor's blond hair. "Maybe we should—"

Thor tripped and they both tumbled to the ground. Thor face-planted into the dirt, pushing himself to his knees only to be tackled by Sif, Fandral and Hogun.

* * *

Loki rolled, emitting a startled cry as he fell over the steep bank and into the riverbed several feet below. He managed to land feet-first, but the water was shallow and he slipped on the jagged rocks, his ankle buckling beneath him.

Loki lifted his head and spat water out of his mouth, groaning as he fumbled for a vine and pulled himself up. As soon as he put weight on his right leg, he gasped, the blinding pain in his ankle painting his vision white as he fell back into the knee-deep water.

Loki grit his teeth and waited several minutes for the pain to ebb enough for him to once again push himself to a standing position. He glanced up at the steep bank once, before simply disappearing.

* * *

Thor and the others lay gasping on the ground, having finally ceased punching each other.

"That was so fun! What do you say, Hogun?" Fandral grinned.

Hogun nodded.

"What was that?" Fandral asked, cupping his hand to his ear. "I can't hear you..."

"Maybe that's because he didn't say anything," Sif rolled her eyes, though she was smiling. "I think we should be getting back."

Everyone stood up, starting to walk back in the direction of the training grounds. Fandral's gait was slightly lopsided.

"Fandral," Thor exclaimed suddenly, "Why dost thou have only one shoe on?"

"Because Loki stole it and then Hogun threw it in the mud," Fandral said.

Thor's eyes widened. "Where is Loki?" He asked, suddenly nervous.

Sif, Fandral, and Hogun glanced around at each other.

"Now that you mention it, I don't remember seeing him," Sif shrugged.

Thor looked alarmed, rushing back deeper into the forest.

"LOKI!" He called desperately.

* * *

Thor burst back into the clearing where he'd fallen, to find Loki leaning against a tree, his face slightly paler than usual.

"Did you need something, brother?" Loki asked, a wry smirk curling across his lips.

"You're okay!" Thor said, relieved.

"So it would seem," Loki agreed. As Thor's friends entered the clearing, Loki adjusted his position slightly, keeping his weight on his left leg.

"We really should be getting back, if we're not to miss lunch," Sif said.

"Then let us go," Thor announced, turning to leave. He turned back to look at his little brother, frowning when he did not immediately follow. "Aren't you coming, Loki?"

"I'll be along," Loki said, waving his hand dismissively. "It's pleasant out here, and I'm not particularly hungry at the moment."

As soon as Thor and his friends left, Loki teleported himself back to his chambers.

* * *

Loki stumbled, crying out and catching himself on his bed frame. Tanis looked up from where she'd been curled up in the sun by the window, trotting over to him and trilling in concern.

"I'm alright, Tanis," Loki assured her, sitting down on his bed and removing his right boot and sock. Tanis caught his wince and jumped up next to him, nuzzling his side comfortingly.

Loki stroked her head gratefully, before rolling up his pant leg and beginning to examine his broken ankle, which was already beginning to swell.

At least the break is clean, he thought to himself. Shouldn't be too hard to fix.

He closed his eyes and concentrated his magic, not noticing as Tanis gave him a worried look and went to his door, climbing onto the dresser in order to reach the handle. She opened the door and slipped out, trotting off down the hallway.

* * *

Frigga glanced down as something tugged on the hem of her gown. "Tanis?" She asked, confused. She'd never seen the dragon without Loki, so she instinctively looked around for her youngest son, becoming worried when she didn't see him.

"What's going on?" Frigga asked the dragon.

Tanis tugged on her gown again, then ran over to the door, looking at her expectantly.

Frigga followed Tanis as she slipped out the door.

* * *

"Loki?"

Loki looked up, alarmed, to see Frigga standing in his doorway. Tanis ran past the Queen, jumping up beside Loki on the bed.

Catching sight of Loki's ankle, Frigga gasped, quickly crossing over to him. "What happened?" She asked.

"I fell," Loki muttered, looking down. "Please don't tell anyone."

Frigga just nodded in understanding, sitting down next to him. "Here, let me help," She said gently.

"I know how to do it," Loki said defensively. "I've healed broken bones before."

"On yourself?" Frigga asked.

"No," Loki admitted. "But how much more difficult can it be?"

"You'd be surprised," Frigga said, looking into Loki's circumspect green eyes. She gently put her hands over Loki's. "We can do it together."

Slowly Loki relaxed, smiling.

"Thank you," he murmured.

* * *

**Please leave a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts :3**


	32. Chapter 32

**Eeeeeeeeeeee I love each and every one of you! *-* Thank you all so much for your support! **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter :D**

* * *

Loki stood up, testing his weight on his newly healed ankle.

"You should head down and see if you can get some lunch," Frigga suggested, "You must be starving."

"Isn't lunch over?" Loki asked, as he hopped around the room on one foot, pulling on his sock and boot.

"Almost," Frigga said, smiling."Volstagg might not have finished everything off if you're quick to get down there."

Loki snorted. "Fine, I'll go down there," he relented.

Frigga nodded, satisfied, before turning and taking her leave.

"Oh, Tanis," Loki said, his eyes lighting up. "I found this spell in the library the other day, and I think it could keep the warriors from seeing you. It's almost like invisibility, but not quite."

Tanis blinked at him from where she was curled up on his bed, her head and front feet resting on his pillow.

"What do you think?"

The dragon yawned, revealing her dozens of tiny sharp teeth.

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

* * *

Tanis scampered just ahead of Loki, pouncing on each pool of light that filtered through the high windows. She dashed between a guard's legs, and if Loki squinted and tilted his head to the side he could see the light bending around her, the shadows cloaking her form with an aura of _I am not here. _It only worked if the person watching didn't know Tanis was already there, or else wasn't looking for her.

"Hi!" Loki greeted cheerfully, as the guard passed him by, frowning suspiciously at Loki's smug expression. The guard quickened his speed slightly.

Loki continued walking towards the dining hall, but as he turned the next corner the Library doors caught his eyes. Unable to resist the urge, he ducked inside, Tanis following close behind him.

Loki breathed in the musty scent of ink, leather, and parchment, letting his eyes drift over the shelves. Spotting where he'd left off, he crossed over to the book-lined wall and began nimbly climbing the bookcase up to the top shelf. He brushed a hand across the stone ceiling simply for the novelty of it, before scanning the spines of the books for one of interest.

A group of voices echoed from the hallway.

"I'm bored."

"I'm hungry!"

"Volstagg, we _just ate_."

"Yeah, well we just _had _fun, too. So why are you telling me to stop complaining about being hungry when you're complaining about being bored?"

"It's not the same!"

"I CHALLENG YOU TO A DUEL!"

"Not in the castle, Thor."

"Then we shall go outside!"

Loki rolled his eyes. Couldn't they choose somewhere else to bicker rather than outside the Library?

Suddenly there was a loud crash from behind him. Loki flinched, looking over his shoulder to see that Tanis had somehow managed to knock a large pile of tomes off the table.

"What was that?!" He heard Sif exclaim.

Sif strode into the room, followed by the four boys. Loki watched in amusement as she glanced around confusedly, her gaze sliding right over where Tanis was perched on the table.

"Greetings, Tanis," Thor grinned at the dragon.

"Tanis?" Fandral asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, my brother's dragon," Thor said, staring at the Sif and the other three boys in disbelief. "She's sitting on the table!"

"There's nothing on the table, Thor," Sif said, looking at the prince worriedly.

"What do you mean there's nothing on the table?!" Thor said incredulously. "Tanis is right there!"

Everyone else looked at the seemingly unoccupied table, then back at Thor, then back at the table.

"Now that I think about it, Loki should be here somewhere too," Thor said, glancing around the vacant Library floor.

Still clinging to the top shelf, Loki snickered silently. Releasing the shelf with one hand he waved energetically at Thor.

Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, Thor looked up, yelping. "LOKI! WHAT IN ASGARD ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?!"

"Looking for a book to read," Loki answered casually, as he climbed swiftly back down, leaping of when he was still several feet above the ground and landing softly in a crouch.

They all gaped at him.

Loki sauntered over, smirking. As he got near the table, Tanis leaped onto his shoulders and settled herself around his neck.

"So how's it going," Loki asked, stroking Tanis's head.

Thor's friends blinked and rubbed their eyes as the air around Loki's shoulders flickered with hints of green scales.

"We were just going back outside," Thor answered brightly, "Sif was going to spar with me. Would you care to join us?"

"No thank you," Loki declined politely. "I still haven't gotten the book I was looking for, you see."

"Great, you're coming with us!" Thor said, grabbing Loki's arm and dragging him towards the door.

Loki made a face. "That was a _no, _Thor."

Thor continued dragging Loki out into the hallway. Sighing, Loki snapped his fingers, coating the floor with ice.

"BROTHER!" Thor shouted as he lost his footing and was forced to let go of Loki in order to catch himself before he hit the ground.

"What?" Loki asked innocently, skating his feet across the floor and sliding away from his brother.

"Turn it back, Loki," Sif demanded from the Library doorway.

Loki crossed his arms, looking at her with raised eyebrows. "You have to make me first."

* * *

**I've always thought it would be fun to climb a bookshelf... **

**Thanks to Clarra-Night for the idea of the concealment spell on Tanis! :D **

**Please review? I'll love you even moarrr... ^.^ **


	33. Chapter 33

**As always, I simply can't thank you enough, loves! *-* Your support means more to me than I can say!**

**Also, FeZeTh13 drew an adorable picture of Thor and Loki in the Library, and I highly suggest you check it out! ****Just paste the following link in your webrowser, delete all the spaces, and delete the parenthesis and everything inside them except for the italic letters. And hopefully that SHOULD work! **

****** fezeth13crazy . deviantart . (insert a _c _an _o _and an _m_) /art/ Thor-and-Loki-in-the-Library-354323217**

******And I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

Sif glared at him for a moment, before gritting out "Fine."

She threw herself at him, her feet slipping out from under her. Growling, she got back up, attempting to move towards Loki once again, before falling a second time.

Loki didn't move from where he was standing a few feet away, watching her failed attempts impassively.

However the lack of a jeering laugh or an arrogant smirk seemed to anger her further, and she lunged at Loki, managing to grab his arm. She tried to pull him down and he didn't fight, instead moving with her and using the momentum to send him shooting down the hallway. He swirled around to face her again, his feet traveling smoothly over the ice like the steps of a well-practiced dance.

"You can do better than that," Loki teased, though is voice was not at all derisive.

Furiously, Sif moved at him again, this time trying to mimic his skating movements. Gaining speed she rammed into Loki.

Only to shoot right through an illusion.

* * *

Loki glided silently past Sif as she crashed through his image, losing her balance and falling to the frozen floor. Grinning, he tapped Thor on the shoulder as he passed by where he and the others were standing in the Library doorway, where the ground was normal.

Thor started at the touch, glancing around in bemused accusation.

"Would that be all?" Loki asked, reappearing at the other end of the hallway. "Because I'm certainly not keeping you here if you'd like to leave."

Sif glared at him seethingly, realizing she'd only embarrass herself further if she continued trying to get him.

"I believe you owe me a duel, Thor," she called, before turning and flouncing away.

"Will you please come with us, Loki?" Thor tried, looking at him hopefully.

Loki was about to answer when he heard heavy footsteps echoing down the hall. Widening his eyes in, Loki swiftly skated over to Thor. "Father's coming," he whispered. "Hide!"

Thor, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun all looked at him in alarm, before turning and diving under the Library table.

Stroking Tanis, who was still wrapped around his neck, Loki turned himself invisible again, waiting in the doorway for the Allfather to reach the iced hallway.

"BOR'S BEARD!" Odin shouted in surprise as he slipped on the ice and fell. As soon as he did, Loki waved his hand, making all the ice evaporate into nothingness, leaving no traces of its existence.

Loki backed silently into the Library as Odin cursed loudly. Loki only returned himself to visibility once he was crouched next to the table. "Take that way," he whispered, pointing to the doors on the other side of the library. "You'll still be able to meet Sif outside, and you won't run into an annoyed Allfather."

"_Please_ join us?" Thor said again, "I'm asking nicely!"

Loki smiled slightly. "Maybe I'll meet you out there after I get some lunch, okay?"

"You haven't had lunch?!" Volstagg asked, horrified. "Tis a crime!"

"It wasn't last time I checked," Loki snorted.

"Nevertheless, I'm coming with you to make sure you get some. Missing lunch is unthinkable!" He declared, coming out from under the table and linking arms with Loki.

Thor watched in amusement as Volstagg pulled a not-entirely-uncooperative Loki out the door and towards the Kitchens.

"Come on, friends," Thor said to a rather confused Fandral and Hogun. "We mustn't keep Sif waiting."

* * *

"Greetings!"

Sif and Thor lowered their weapons, turning to see Volstagg and Loki join them.

"You wouldn't believe it," Volstagg said excitedly, "Loki beat me! I didn't think anyone could eat faster than me!"

"Wait, what's going on?" Thor asked.

"Loki and I had contest to see who could eat the fastest, and Loki won. You should have seen him! It was gone," Volstagg snapped his fingers, "Like that!"

Thor looked at Loki in bewilderment, who rolled his eyes. "Loki ate faster than you? But he takes forever to finish!"

"Apparently not always," Volstagg shrugged.

The only sign that Loki was the least bit fazed by everyone's intense stares were the fingers of his right hand tapping nervously against his thigh.

"He must have used a spell," Fandral offered, though somewhat uncertainly.

Loki looked meaningfully at his brother, emerald eyes requesting that Thor change the subject.

"Anyway! Sif and I were in the middle of our tiebreaker match," Thor said, readying his blade.

Sif smirked, taking up a fighting stance as Thor attacked, parrying his strikes before lunging in, forcing him to take up defense instead.

Smiling gratefully, Loki hopped up onto the fence to watch.

The dull edges of the training swords glinted in the afternoon sunlight. Thor moved in to attack once again, aiming to knock Sif's weapon out of her hand. She fumbled for her hold on the hilt as it threatened to slip out of her grasp. Counting his victory too early, Thor turned to grin triumphantly at his friends, only to find Sif's blade suddenly poised at his throat.

"I win."

"Indeed," Thor conceded, clapping Sif on the neck. "I'll beat you next time though!"

Sif snorted, but she returned her sword to the scabbard around her waist and backed off.

Thor walked over to the fence and hopped up beside Loki as Hogun took up arms and went to duel Sif.

"Maybe if you don't turn to your audience to gloat as soon as you believe you've won," Loki said, a corner of his thin lips tilted in a half-smirk.

Thor frowned at him slightly, and Loki began to watch Sif and Hogun, his eyes following their movements like a cat's.

"Is it true that you beat Volstagg?" Thor asked after a moment.

"What do you think?" Loki asked, keeping his gaze locked on the battle.

"Volstagg is not known to lie," Thor said thoughtfully, " Therefore you must just enjoy annoying me by making me wait for you to finish your meals."

Loki's only answer was an impish grin.

* * *

**The other day I was reading some Norse mythology books, and apparently Loki can eat faster than any other being in the Nine Realms... I was like O.O **

**So yeah, that's where that came from! I just sort of had to incorporate that bit of information into my story. And I realized I'd made Loki a slow eater, but I could totally see him just doing that to get on Thor's nerves... so everything worked out XD**

**Please review and let me know what you think! ^.^ **


	34. Chapter 34

**Thank you all so much for all your support! ^.^ You peeps are made of awesome! **

**And FeZeTh13 drew SIX more pictures for Loki's pranks! *-* I highly suggest you check them out!  
**

**You can see them all at her gallery: fezeth13crazy . deviantart . (insert a _c_ an _o_ and an _m_) /gallery/**

**And as always, enjoy the chapter! :D **

* * *

"Will you duel, Loki?" Thor asked after they'd been watching a while, turning to face his brother.

Loki shook his head, causing his black hair to fall into his eyes. "No thanks."

"Why not?" Thor said, "You won't get any better by just watching. You need practice!"

"But you also need to observe and see how your opponents fight, so you know how to beat them," Loki pointed out, as Thor hopped off the fence.

"Come on, brother, it'll be fun!" Thor said, grabbing Loki's feet and trying to pull him off the fence. Loki rolled his eyes, teleporting himself away. As Loki's legs disappeared out of Thor's grasp he stumbled backwards and fell, finding him suddenly staring at the cloudless sky.

"Beautiful day, isn't it Thor?" Loki asked casually.

Thor pushed himself to his elbows, looking over to see that Loki was lying right beside him, the younger boy's arms folded behind his head.

"Oh please," Thor muttered exasperatedly, letting himself lie back down.

Loki tilted his head from side to side, as if trying to see the world from different angles. "What color would you say the sky is, Thor?" He mused thoughtfully.

"Blue," Thor said, wondering why he was being asked such an obvious question.

"But what _shade _of blue?"

"We-are-lying-in-the-middle-of-the-training-field-and-are-likely-to-get-stepped-on blue," Thor grumbled.

"Was that sarcasm I heard?" Loki gasped in mock astonishment and poked his older brother in the side teasingly. "Maybe you're not so hopeless after all!"

Thor sat up and grabbed Loki, holding his brother's head under his arm as he ruffled Loki's hair, laughing.

"THOR!"

Thor let go of Loki and they both looked up, immediately ceasing their giggles.

"It's your turn!" Fandral called, gesturing to where Hogun was waiting expectantly, his sword drawn. "Grim Boy's on a winning streak!"

Thor got up and bounded over, reaching for his own blade. Grasping nothing but an empty hilt he looked down, his brow creasing in confusion at the sudden absence.

"Have you seen my sword?" He asked, turning to look at Sif and the others. They shook their heads.

Thor turned to question his brother. "Loki, have you seen my..." he trailed off, staring at his younger brother.

Loki was standing a few feet away, trying to balance the sword horizontally along his pointer finger. "Imperfectly balanced," he frowned, finding the balance point to be several centimeters into the blade, rather than just next to the hilt.

He glanced up innocently, as if he'd just notice them all staring at him. "Oh, sorry, were you looking for this?" he asked, flipping the sword into the air and catching it smoothly by the hilt. He then walked over and presented it to Thor with a mock bow and a wink.

"You may proceed with your battle," Loki said airily, brushing through the group, who were all at least a head taller than he was, and heading over to the apple tree.

Loki shimmied up the trunk and weaved his way up through the tangled of branches, perching himself in the uppermost reaches of the tree, where all the apples were and he had a good view.

He saw one of the guards begin making his way across the field towards the stables.

Eyes glittering mischievously, Loki picked apples until his arms were full, then carefully descended no-handedly to where he had a view of the ground.

He waited.

* * *

As the guard passed beneath the tree, suddenly a whole hoard of apples pelted him, bouncing off his helmet and making him stagger slightly as he tried to shield himself. A couple of apples speared themselves on his horns.

"WHAT IN THE NINE REALMS?!" He yelped.

A small figure leaped down from the tree, landing in front of him. The guard opened his mouth to start yelling angrily.

"Oh, sorry about that!" the boy, who the guard now recognized as the younger prince, apologized quickly. The Odinson began picking the apples off the ground.

"I was just going to take these apples to the Kitchens so they could make apple pie, except I'm afraid my arms are so full I keep dropping them," the prince explained. "Do you think I could borrow your helmet to carry them in, so I'm not dropping apples every other stride?"

The young boy blinked his large green eyes, looking up at the guard eagerly.

The guard regarded him coldly for a moment.

"Fine," he relented, taking off his helmet and handing it over. "Just make sure you return it today, alright?"

"I promise!" the prince beamed, and the guard couldn't help but chuckle to himself as the boy deposited the apples into the helmet and hurried away carrying it rather awkwardly in his skinny arms.

* * *

Loki exited the Kitchens after giving the kitchen staff the apples he'd collected. He twirled the guard's helmet around his finger, the two apples still stuck on its horns.

As he heard Odin's footsteps approach, Loki ran to meet him.

"Father!" Loki exclaimed delightedly, launching himself off the wall at the Allfather and throwing his arms around Odin's neck, giggling "Got you!"

"Loki," Odin said gruffly, taking a step back in surprise, though he put his arms around his son nevertheless."What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be outside with Thor and the others?"

"I just wanted to say hi," Loki pouted slightly.

The Allfather sighed, tilting Loki's head up so he could look his son in the eyes. "You do know I'm busy, right?"

Loki nodded.

"So you understand," Odin said, setting Loki down. "Now run along and play, before I ground you again."

Loki stood with his hands clasped behind his back, rocking back and forth on his heels as he tried to tell whether Odin was being teasing or serious.

"Yes father," Loki finally said meekly, as Odin continued walking down the hall towards the stables.

As soon as Odin was out of sight and hearing distance, Loki snickered, pulling the Allfather's helmet out from behind him and teleporting away.

* * *

**Eheheheh, okay so that chapter was pretty random... :3 **

**I've been continuing my research, and apparently Loki is also more nimble and skillful than any thief in all the nine realms O.O (Not really so surprising, but still pretty awesome :D) **

**God. Of mischief: Yeah, that's the myth! ^.^ I do have some questions... like, was it Loki that raced against thought? 'Cause in the version I read, it was some Midgardian boy who ran... of course, there are so many different versions of the myths... though I do like the idea of Loki being the one who ran ;) And I may have more questions in the future... but for now, how about do you have an account I could reply too? :P **

**Please review and tell me your thoughts! You know you want to ;)  
**


	35. Chapter 35

***hums happily* Thank you all so much for your support! I really can't stress enough how much it means to me ^.^ **

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter! **

* * *

Loki reappeared just inside the training field. He glanced over to make sure that Thor's friends were fully focused on the present duel between Thor and Volstagg, before setting the Allfather's helmet on a fence post where he knew his brother would spot it.

Before his presence even had a chance of being noticed Loki was gone again.

* * *

The Allfather strode into the stable yard, not seeming to notice as people stared his head, grinning behind their hands or turning their laughter to a fit of coughing.

"Saddle my horse," Odin ordered, gesturing to one of the servants, who quickly ran to do the King's bidding.

As he stood there waiting, one of the guards approached him. The guard placed his fist across his chest respectfully.

"Thanks for returning by helmet, sire," He said.

"What?" Odin asked in confusion, turning his head slightly to better pin the guard with the gaze of his one eye.

"My helmet," The guard gestured to above the Allfather's head.

Odin regarded the guard cynically, before reaching up and removing the helmet from his head. He stared at it.

Instead of his golden helmet with three-pronged wings that reached up from the sides and the horns that curved forward from above each each eye, it was a darker steel color, and there was an apple speared on each horn that curved roundly upwards.

Just then the servant returned with Odin's horse, and the huge blue roan reached his head forward and ate one of the apples off the helmet.

"HOW IN ASGARD DID THIS OCCUR?!" The Allfather bellowed, frustrated. He glared at the guard. "Explain yourself," he ordered.

The guard quaked at the intensity of the Allfather's stare, stammering out quickly, "Your son was bringing apples to the Kitchens, and he kept dropping them so he asked if he could borrow my helmet to carry them in, promising to return it."

The King thrust the helmet into the guard's hands, before stalking off.

The guard stood there frozen for a moment, and Odin's horse took a step towards him and bit off the other apple, then nudged the guard to see if he had any more.

* * *

_Meanwhile.._

Loki teleported back to the Library, and was immediately ambushed by a dragon.

"Tanis!" Loki giggled, as she slipped through his arms and twined around his neck, before climbing up on top of his head. She reached her neck down over his face and looked at him, as he crossed his arms and lifted his eyes, glaring at her.

Neither of them blinked for several minutes.

"Excuse me?"

Loki blinked in surprise, turning to glare at whoever had interrupted their staring contest, while Tanis trilled triumphantly. Loki reached up and took Tanis off his head, sticking his tongue out at her teasingly as he set her down on the table.

A guard stood in the doorway, hovering there uncertainly. "Do you know how to get to—"

"Take the corridor to your left, walk for five hundred thirty four paces then take your sixth left, take the next right, then your third left, walk down two flights of stairs, take a right and walk down the hallway till you come to a couple massive golden doors. Those will lead to the throne room, and you should be able to find wherever you're going to from there," Loki said immediately, cutting him off. Having to tell people directions for how to get around the castle got tiring after a while; though he couldn't get too annoyed with them, since he knew what it was like to feel lost.

The guard stared at him with his mouth slightly open, before clearing his throat.

"Would you like me to repeat that?" Loki asked helpfully.

The guard shook his head and hurried away.

Loki went over to the bookshelves and climbed swiftly back up to where he'd been before Thor and the others had interrupted him. Loki scanned the shelf until he found a promising tome, pulling it out one-handedly and carrying it under his arm as he descended back to the ground, leaping down and taking it over to the table by Tanis.

He set it down and began flipping through the pages with one hand, while he absentmindedly stroked Tanis with the other.

"Here it is," he murmured, finding the spell he was looking for. Loki pulled a small hand-held mirror from the small pouch strung around his hips. He'd pick-pocketed it from Fandral when he'd brushed by the boy earlier, on his way to the apple tree. He knew that Fandral carried around a mirror—Fandral liked to make sure his hair wasn't messed up—and Loki needed one for this spell.

Loki looked into the mirror, seeing his own reflection blink back at him, the hint of a smile about his lips. His dark hair stuck up more than usual, probably because of Tanis.

Murmuring the runes softly, Loki made a small movement with his long, slender fingers, and his reflection wavered slightly, like the distortion shallow water caused as it flowed over pebbles in a river. Loki pursed his lips in concentration and tried again. This time his reflection faded away completely, to be replaced by an image of an annoyed-looking Odin force a helmet with an apple speared on one of its horns into the hands of a stunned guard.

The pleased smile broke out over Loki's face.

* * *

Thor had just disarmed Volstagg and called "Who's next?" when he saw something gold gleaming out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw his father's helmet hanging on one of the fence posts, near where he and Loki had been sitting earlier.

Thor trotted over to it and placed it on his head, before turning to his friends, grinning jauntily. His quick movement causing the ill-fitting helmet to spin slightly, so that the horns were sticking out more over his left ear than in front of his face. Thor straightened the helmet.

"Where did that come from?" Sif asked in bewilderment, as Thor rejoined them.

"Maybe father forgot it," Thor suggested, shrugging in a manner that suggested he was too pleased to be bothered with such a question.

Fandral eyed the golden headgear in something close to wonderment. "Could I try it on?" He asked eagerly, not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to wear the Allfather's own helmet.

Thor frowned slightly, looking like he was about to object.

"Just for a moment?" Fandral pleaded.

"Fine," Thor conceded, removing the helmet from his head and handing it over.

Fandral widened his eyes at the unexpected weight. He placed it on his head, but just as quickly took it off again. "That thing's _uncomfortable,_" he said, passing it on to the others.

As each one tried on the King's helmet, they nodded in agreement.

"Why does everyone were those helmets, anyway?" Volstagg wondered.

"Because they're intimidating!" Thor exclaimed, looking at the red-head incredulously.

"And they do protect your head," Fandral pointed out reasonably.

Volstagg looked at Thor as the helmet tipped down to cover the prince's eyes. Thor pushed it up again.

"I don't know, they seem like they would be heard to fight in." Volstagg said.

"Only if they don't fit correctly," Sif answered, shaking her head in exasperation. "But every helmet is crafted to fit the warrior who wears it."

"THOR!"

Thor and his friends turned to see Odin striding angrily across the field towards them.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY HELMET?!"

* * *

**I had trouble finding pictures of the helmets, especially the guards, because I couldn't remember what they looked like... I finally found a picture where I could _sort of_ make out what they looked like, albeit the picture didn't give me as good of a view of them as I would have liked. Odin's helmet was a bit easier. I couldn't very well have put in the movie to see though, because I would have ended up watching the whole thing (or at least all the parts with Loki) XD And I just don't have that sort of time, unfortunately :/ **

**God. Of mischief: Okay... that's a lot to reply too! You really need to get an account :P I kind of need to keep things brief here. Anyway, thanks for straightening that out! I just started reading the myths, and I haven't read any of the comics... that sounds really cool, what you're doing :) I think I found the site you were talking about, and I left a reply... Yes I have heard of Ragnarok! Not Loki Ragnarok, though it sounds interesting :) And just to let you know, links don't really work :/ And thank you so much for taking the time to review and comment! **

**Anyways... should any of you feel inclined to leave a review I would love to hear your thoughts! ^.^ Please? **


	36. Chapter 36

**I love you all, I really do ^.^ Thank you so much for all your support! *-* **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Loki watched in the mirror as Odin stood over Thor and his friends. Thor, for his part, was getting in a word or two whenever the Allfather stopped for breath, while Sif and the others shrank away slightly, wincing at Odin's shouts.

Loki pursed his lips in thought. Although it was at least mildly amusing seeing them get into trouble, they didn't seem to be doing anything to get themselves out of it. And of course, he was the one who'd gotten them into it in the first place.

Closing the spell book, Loki was about to turn away when he spared a glance at the tome, then at its space on the shelf, frowning in mild inner conflict.

Quickly he slipped the mirror back into his pouch, then grabbed the book and placed it back in its proper spot on the top shelf. Satisfied, he looked at Tanis, and she took the cue to leap onto his shoulders before he disappeared.

* * *

"THOR, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO STEAL MY HELMET!" The Allfather roared, holding out his hand demandingly.

Thor handed him the helmet somewhat reluctantly. "I didn't steal it. I found it," Thor said, gesturing vaguely.

"YOU COULDN'T HAVE JUST FOUND IT, SINCE I DIDN'T LEAVE IT ANYWHERE!" Odin said in exasperation.

"If you didn't leave it anywhere then how did you lose it?" Thor pointed out, though his brow was creased with confusion.

"BECAUSE YOU STOLE IT!"

"I did no such thing!"

"THEN WHY WERE YOU WEARING MY HELMET?!"

"Because I found it!"

Odin turned his gaze on Thor's friends. "Was it one of you, then?!"

They all shook their heads vehemently, their eyes widened in nervousness.

The Allfather's eyes swept the arena, and he scowled suspiciously. "Where is Loki?" He demanded.

"I'll be right over!"

Odin whirled around to see his youngest son climbing out of the apple tree, leaves stuck in Loki's messy black hair. He brushed them out impatiently, before walking over casually, biting into an apple as he came up to them.

"Did you need something, father?"

"You stole my helmet and put the guard's helmet on my head, didn't you?!" The Allfather accused.

Loki blinked, his face shifting into something between puzzlement and guilt.

"I didn't _steal_ it," Loki said, tilting his chin down and looking up at Odin from beneath his dark eyebrows. "You see, I was walking through the throne room on my way back from the Kitchens with the guard's helmet, because they'd said that they needed more apples to make enough pies. And as I passed by your throne, I noticed your helmet was set beside it. Your helmet was bigger than the guard's, so I took yours so I wouldn't have to make as many trips, setting the guard's helmet in your helmet's place. I had no idea you would be so upset, nor did I know that you would be so distracted that you might accidentally put on the guard's helmet without noticing that it was not your own."

The Allfather glared at Loki. "So then how did Thor end up with my helmet?"

"I set it on the fence over there," Loki gestured to the spot Thor had found it, "Because I couldn't carry it up into the tree, and I didn't want to set it on the dirt, so the fence seemed a good option. I was planning on calling to Thor to hand it up to me once I'd climbed up, so that I could fill it with apples."

The words slipped off Loki's tongue like softly flowing water, not a single catch nor a hesitation in his voice.

"And pray tell me _why _you were picking apples for a pie in the first place?" Odin said incredulously.

Loki's lips parted slightly, his expression hurt. "I thought it would be nice..." he trailed off.

"I like apple pie!" Volstagg exclaimed, his love of food overpowering his fear of a furious Allfather.

"Would you like to help me pick apples?" Loki asked, green eyes lighting up hopefully.

"Of course!" Volstagg grinned.

"Father?" Loki tried, as Odin turned to look at him warily. "Could we borrow your helmet?"

* * *

**Okay, honestly, I didn't expect Loki to talk himself out of that one... O.O **

**Sorry that chapter's a bit short! I'm starting to get a little sick, and my mother was trying to make me go to bed at 11:00 but I was like "Nooooooooooooo! I have to write a chapter!" I won :D (After like, ten minutes of arguing...) Anyway, I am sort of tired, and I have some reasons why it would be bad for me to get sick now (besides just feeling bad XD) **

**And I know basically all that happened in this chapter is Loki using his lie-spinning skills... but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! ^.^ **


	37. Chapter 37

**Thank you all so much for your support! Truly *-* **

**And I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"I call I get to hold father's helmet!" Thor said eagerly, bouncing on his heels.

"Alright," Loki said, handing his brother the helmet. "You stand at the base of the tree, and Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun and I will toss the apples down, okay?"

"Okay!" Thor agreed.

"Wait, since when were we involved in this?" Sif demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at Loki.

Loki just looked at her, unfazed, and raised an eyebrow. "Since you followed us over here," He said. He then turned and climbed up the tree, practically scampering up the trunk and into the highest branches, the ones that looked much to thin to hold the weight of a child. "Catch!" he called, tossing down an apple.

Thor caught it in the helmet. "It's like a game," He said happily.

Volstagg climbed into the tree next. Though he was surprisingly skinny for how much he ate, was still taller than Fandral and Hogun, and had an easier time getting into the tree, jumping up and grabbing the lowest branch.

"Aren't you coming?" Volstagg said, grinning as he joined Loki in pegging Thor with apples.

Hogun and Fandral helped each other up, Hogun boosting Fandral up to the branch, and he then gave the dark haired boy a hand up.

He held out his hand for Sif.

"I can get up myself," Sif said coolly.

* * *

"Missed!" Thor declared, as one of Loki's apples hit him in the face instead of landing in Odin's helmet.

"I don't _miss," _Loki snorted, though his smirk was teasing. "It's not my fault you weren't paying attention."

"Tanis is looking at me funny!" Thor protested, glancing back up where the dragon was perched on a branch above his head, her tail twitching as she eyed him.

"What is it with this 'Tanis'?" Fandral asked, tossing down a couple apples. Thor had to run a few feet to catch them.

"I've told you, Tanis is Loki's dragon," Thor said exasperatedly. "Loki, why do they keep claiming I'm hallucinating?"

Loki smiled, holding a slender finger to lips. He then picked a few apples, juggling them for a few seconds before tossing them down to Thor, who didn't even have to move to catch them in the helmet.

"Why do I feel like something suspicious is going on?" Hogun asked quietly, adding yet more apples to the quickly growing pile in the Allfather's helmet. It was already nearly full.

"Maybe because the princes are acting suspicious?" Sif supplied.

"Yeah really. I mean, why are we picking apples again?" Fandral asked, reaching for an apple far out on the branch. His fingers just grazed it, before he lost his balance and fell out of the tree, nearly landing on Thor.

"Oof!" he groaned.

"Because of apple pies!" Volstagg said merrily. Fandral glared at him, but Volstagg just bit into an apple.

"I think we have enough," Thor announced, as the apples being thrown down started rolling out of the helmet and onto the ground.

"Good. Because I'm not getting back up," Fandral said.

"What if you were lying right where I was going to jump down?" Sif hinted impatiently.

Fandral shook his head. "Nuh uh, I will not let your petty threats move me from this comfortable spot."

"Fine," Sif jumped down, and Fandral just barely rolled out of the way.

"What was that for?" Fandral exclaimed. "You could have messed up my hair! I must make sure you haven't messed up my hair." He then reached into his right pocket, frowning when nothing was there. He proceeded to check his left pocket. "Where did my mirror go?!"

Sif rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."

"They're leaving without us," Hogun pointed out gruffly, nodding to where Thor, Loki, and Volstagg were already halfway to the castle.

* * *

_At dinner later... _

"These apple pies are delicious!" Volstagg declared, practically stuffing his face with it.

"I think it's a little undercooked..." Fandral said, prodding his slice with a knife.

Unseen, Tanis crept up and breathed a tongue of flame at Fandral's plate.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! WHY IS MY PIE ON FIRE?!" Fandral yelped.

Thor failed to stifle his laughter. "At least look at it this way: it's not undercooked anymore!"

"True," Fandral said, eying the burnt piece of pie sadly. "I think it's a little overcooked now..."

Sif turned to glare at Loki. "Why did you do that?" she demanded.

"It wasn't I," Loki said, shaking his head slightly.

"If any of you aren't going to eat your pie, I'll take it!" Volstagg offered.

Thor hurriedly shoveled the last of his slice in his mouth, and Sif pulled her plate towards her protectively.

"Take it," Fandral said, putting up his hands and indicating for Volstagg to go ahead.

Volstagg did. "A little crunchy..." he admitted, "But still good!"

"Hey Loki—" Thor said, turning to look at his brother, only to find his chair empty. He stared around the hall, but he didn't see his little brother anywhere.  
"Where did he go?" Thor asked in bemusement.

"Beats me," Volstagg shrugged. "Does this mean I can eat his pie?"

* * *

**Okay, I admit that this chapter was basically random filler... I kind of had a hard time writing it, as I'm like, really stressed out right now... I have a dance competition tomorrow (actually, technically it's later today... I have to wake up in around six hours to start getting ready...) ****I'm kind of mentally freaking out right now O.O **

**But please review and let me know what you think! **


	38. Chapter 38

**I can't thank you all enough, I really can't! You support means the world to me, truly *-* **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter! ^.^**

* * *

Loki silently entered the vacant training room, Tanis right at his heels. He walked past the practice swords, battle axes, and other assorted large weapons, stopping when he came to a few daggers. He took the small blades and examined them carefully, before attaching them to his belt.

Crossing to to one side of the room, he turned to face the opposite wall, which was padded and marked from the many practice battles that took place in the arena. He waved a hand and set up illusions of bullseyes, since there weren't any real ones. Most Asgardians found the use of long-distance weapons pointless, preferring to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Loki then clasped his pale fingers around a dagger and threw it.

The blade struck the wall in the center of the target, quivering there slightly, and Loki's closed lips curled into a small smile.

* * *

"What now?" Fandral asked, once they'd finally managed to drag Volstagg from the dining hall and outside to enjoy the last couple hours of daylight.

"You're It!" Thor declared, tagging Fandral roughly on the shoulder before dashing off, followed by Sif, Volstagg, and Hogun.

"Foul!" Fandral protested indignantly, though he began chasing after them nevertheless.

"Thou shalt not catch me!" Thor taunted. He led Fandral all the way around the perimeter of the field before ducking into the training room. Peeking around the edge of the door, he saw that Fandral had given up chasing him in favor of going after Sif.

He was just about to charge back outside when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

Loki had long since tired of the static bullseyes, and had enchanted them to shoot around the room, bouncing around the room and off each other as if they were corporeal, and when the daggers sailed through the targets they pinned the images to the wall behind them.

Tanis watched him from where she was sitting above on the rafters that supported the roof, her golden eyes following the blades as Loki threw them. His movements were surprisingly fluid as he whirled around, this not being the first time he'd sneaked in to practice by himself.

Suddenly Loki heard running footsteps approach, the dagger he was throwing missing the target wildly as his attention slipped.

Quickly he waved the targets away, and he'd just barely collected the knives when Thor burst into the room, immediately turning to lean against the door frame and look back out.

Loki crept up behind his brother, placing a hand on Thor's shoulder.

"ODIN'S EYE PATCH!" Thor swore loudly, jumping into the air as he whirled around.

Loki smirked at him.

"Loki! What are you doing here?!" Thor asked in surprise.

"What do you think?" Loki countered, rolling his eyes.

"Did you come to practice your battle skills?" Thor said hopefully, his blue eyes lighting up. "Then let us spar!" He went over and took a training sword from the rack, turning to look at Loki expectantly. "Aren't you going to get a weapon?"

"I have a weapon," Loki answered, holding up a dagger. He wanted to practice hand-to-hand combat with the knives anyway, and it would be better without the instructor or Thor's friends watching.

"That is hardly a weapon for a duel," Thor frowned.

"We'll have to see," Loki said, smiling secretively.

"Have at thee!" Thor exclaimed.

He and Loki slashed their blades through the air as they attacked and parried. Thor's eyes widened at how well his little brother was keeping up, and he shot a pleased grin at Loki as he intensified his strikes.

* * *

Thor finally knocked the dagger out of Loki's hand, pointing his sword at the smaller boy's chest. They were both panting.

"Rematch?" Thor asked eagerly.

Loki retrieved his weapon and readied his stance, lifting his chin. He smirked teasingly. "You won't win again, I can promise you that."

Loki kept his promise.

* * *

**So... I know it's short... and sort of random (again...) But I did only get about three hours of sleep. (Although that was my fault for procrastinating on homework x.x) **

**Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless :3 Please review and let me know what you think! **

**Em: Aww, thank you so much! ^.^ You mean am I planning on revealing that Loki is a Frost Giant? I wasn't planning on it... but then again, this story isn't exactly planned out XD So far the plan hasn't been for the story to be completely AU, though. Eheheheh, the competition went alright! My team didn't place, but we're competing more for the experience than winning :) We were all really nervous beforehand, but after we got off stage it felt really good, you know? And now I just have to go to another one next Sunday! **


	39. Chapter 39

**You are all AMAZING *-* Thank you all so much for your support!**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter ^.^**

* * *

Thor stared down at the dagger that was poised at his neck, swallowing in jocular nervousness. A smile twitched at his lips.

"Have mercy!" Thor said, falling to his knees and erupting into giggles. "Spare me, I beg of you!"

Loki leaned closer. "And why should I do that?"

Thor laughed even harder at his brother's expression, clutching his side and doubling over, his whole body shaking. "Please, thou hast already wounded me!" Thor gasped, tears of mirth rolling down his face.

Finally Loki's straight face broke, and he laughed lightheartedly, pulling Thor to his feet.

"That..." Thor struggled for breath, "Was epic!" He held up a hand, and Loki grinned and gave him a high-five.

"Found you!" Fandral declared, suddenly appearing in the doorway. He stared in puzzlement as Thor wiped the tears from his face, steadying himself on Loki's shoulder.

"What's going on here?" Sif demanded, coming up beside Fandral. "Thor, you disappeared on us!"

Thor gestured wildly with his hands and opened his mouth to say something, before making himself crack up again.

Loki just shook his head in amusement, putting an arm around his older brother to keep Thor from stumbling and falling down.

"Thor says sorry, he got distracted," Loki translated.

"Is... is Thor alright?" Sif asked uncertainly, as Thor continued shaking, every once in a while taking in huge shuddering gasps, then lapsing back into silent giggles.

"I think so," Loki said, looking down at his brother with a slightly confused but thoughtful expression. "I'm not quite sure what happened. Tell me, how much dessert did he have?"

Sif and Fandral exchanged glances. "Well..."

"Ah, I see," Loki nodded. He helped his brother out of the training room and into the fresh air, the late amber-tinted sunlight falling down lazily and casting their shadows long and dark across the field.

Thor righted himself and Loki let go, watching as Thor took a few steps before promptly collapsing onto the ground, still giggling.

"Oh, you found them!" Volstagg said, coming over with Hogun in tow. They joined Loki, Sif, and Fandral, who were all staring at Thor with expressions ranging between concerned, bewildered, and amused.

"What happened to him?" Volstagg asked.

They all shrugged.

"Alright. You're It," Volstagg proclaimed, tagging Hogun, who immediately tagged, Sif, who tagged Fandral, who tagged Loki.

Loki looked on as they all ran off, pausing in anticipation once they were a safe distance away. He looked back down at Thor, who was still lying on the ground.

"Can you stand?" Loki asked.

Thor nodded, holding up his hand, and Loki pulled him to his feet.

Loki pulled bits of grass out of his brother's blond hair, before saying "Oh, and by the way..."

Thor looked at him as Loki smirked.

"You're It."

* * *

"Have you seen our sons?" Frigga asked, laying a hand on Odin's shoulder. "It's getting dark."

"Not since they gave me my helmet back," Odin admitted, looking at where his helmet sat beside his throne to make sure it was still there.

Frigga pursed her lips, before exiting the hall.

* * *

Frigga came outside just in time to see Thor shout something as his brother disappeared from beside him.

"Mother."

Frigga turned to see Loki right behind her. "Hello darling," she smiled, ruffling his already rather messy black hair. "How are things doing?"

"Fine. Thor was a little indisposed but," He looked around to her to see his brother chasing after Hogun, the two of them running in circles around the apple tree before shooting off like planets knocked out of orbit.

"I think he's alright now."

Suddenly his eyes widened, large in his face, and he ducked behind her.

"Mother!" Thor exclaimed, running up to hug her.

"Thor," Frigga smiled.

"Are you playing?" Thor asked, looking up at her.

Before she could answer, he had called "Because you're It!" and run off.

She chuckled, as Loki quickly dashed after him.

"I'm coming to get you," she warned teasingly.

* * *

Volstagg didn't know why he was surprised that the Queen of Asgard to run so fast, but before her sons had even made it to the apple tree she had caught up to them and scooped them up in her arms, laughing as they tried uselessly to squirm away.

"Help us!" Thor called, holding out a hand to Volstagg, who shook his head.

"It's no use," Volstagg said. "You're goners!"

"Time to come inside," Frigga said, in her no-objections-allowed tone of voice. "It's already dark," she pointed out, as indeed the first stars were beginning to blink in the indigo-turning sky. "And I'm sure your parents will be expecting you all home."

Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg all sighed.

* * *

"Don't you think you're a little old to be carried around?" Odin asked his sons, as Frigga came in with a boy on each hip.

"Yes, but mother's strong!" Thor said, causing Frigga to laugh brightly.

"And she wouldn't put us down," Loki pointed out. He wasn't complaining, though.

Odin smiled despite himself.

* * *

Frigga kissed Loki on the forehead. "Goodnight, darling."

After Frigga tucked him in and left, Loki stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours, his mind refusing to rest.

Finally he closed his eyes, and his breathing evened out.

The shadows closed in.

* * *

**Eheheheh, had to wrap that day up :3**

**God. Of mischief: Eheheheh yes I dance :) Thanks for the luck! I'm going to be dancing at 8:30am, so I have to get there at 7:15, and because I need to arrive ready with all the hair and make-up and in costume, I have to wake up at 4:50am... and it's daylight savings tonight, so it's actually sort of 3:50am O.O I totally agree with you about how Loki discovering his heritage would totally changed the direction and the mood of this fic. **

**Which brings me to my next order of business! I know I told some of you I was going to ask in the A/N whether you all wanted this to be AU with Loki finding out that he's a Frost Giant, or whether you would like it to stay the same, but, um... I changed my mind o_o I decided that I'm not going to make this story AU, because that would give make this story a bit darker, and also it sort of gives it a plot, rather than just these little scenes of their life, and it would push this story all of a sudden into a completely different direction and sort of change everything. So... it's not happening. But! If you guys are interested, I'll write you all an AU one-shot where Loki discovers his Frost Giant heritage at a young age, and I'll tell you when I post it (though it might take a while.) How does that sound? ^.^ **

**Please review and let me know what you think! **


	40. Chapter 40

**Thank you so much for your support! Have I mentioned how much I love you all? ^.^**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Thor blinked his bleary eyes, his vision slowly clearing. He glanced over at Loki who was lying next to him, his lips parted slightly and his long eyelashes strikingly dark against his pale skin. His not quite shoulder-length hair was fanned out across the pillow.

Thor gave a small smile at how peaceful his brother looked, his breathing easy and rhythmic, and his face free of the fear that had haunted him when he'd come wild-eyed into Thor's room in the middle of the night, murmuring something about darkness and falling.

Softly so as not to awaken his brother, Thor swung his feet to the cold stone floor and slipped out of bed.

He'd removed his nightclothes and donned his red tunic, and was just about to exit the room when a voice came from behind him, raspy with the remnants of sleep.

"Thor?"

He turned to see Loki propped up on one elbow, blinking his green eyes owlishly at him.

Thor smiled. "I'll meet you down at breakfast."

* * *

Loki took his seat next to his older brother at the dining table. Thor was talking excitedly with his friends, but as soon as they saw Loki they shushed, though they kept shooting each other conniving glances.

"I'm done!" Thor announced, pushing his plate away. "I'm gong to be outside." He got up and left the table, Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg getting up and leaving as well.

Loki rolled his eyes at the ceiling, before downing his breakfast in seconds and following silently behind them.

They whispered amongst themselves.

"No no, we're going into the _dangerous_ part of the forest!"

"The part that we're told never to go in because we will either get eaten or else we'll get caught and severely punished?"

"Exactly!"

"Why again?"

"To look for bilgesnipe, of course!"

"I'm not sure this is a good idea..."

"It's a _bad _idea."

"Well, if you're afraid you don't have to come along."

"No, we're coming!"

They'd gotten outside and were sneaking towards the forest, when they stopped suddenly.

Loki was casually sitting on the fence of the training yard, one leg dangling off and the other hugged up to his chest.

"Where are you going?" Loki said curiously, though he already knew the answer.

Thor fidgeted in nervousness. "Um... into the forest..."

"What for?"

"We're looking for bilgesnipe," Sif shrugged, as if the mere idea would scare Loki away.

Loki tilted his head to the side slightly. "Can I come?" he asked.

"Brother, you're too young," Thor said, looking apologetic. "You could get hurt."

"And you couldn't?" Loki countered.

Thor sighed. "Loki, you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me."

"We're going on an dangerous adventure, and you're not allowed to come because you're too little and will only get in the way," Fandral put bluntly.

"Look at it this way: you can go inside to your books, and you won't have any of us to bother you for a whole day," Sif offered.

"I'm sorry brother," Thor said, "But you're really not old enough to come with us."

Loki remained silent, his head down.

"See you later," Thor tried to smile reassuringly, as he and the others walked away.

* * *

**Okay, this chapter's rather short... sorry about that! But it is the beginning to a mini-plot :) The next chapter should be longer though, and with less sadness. **

**So! I've already started planning out that one-shot I was telling y'all about, and I'm really looking forward to writing it... hopefully it won't take too long :3 **

**Please review! I'd love to know what you think! And in celebration of this being the 40th chapter, all reviewers get hugs from Loki ^.^ **


	41. Chapter 41

**Hey! I can't update on Saturday since I'm going on an overnight backpacking trip, so you get the chapter a day early :D**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has faved, alerted, and reviewed! You are all truly amazing! And a special thanks to my guest reviewers who I can't thank in person ^.^ Loki hugs! I really can't tell you how much your comments mean to me *-* **

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter! **

* * *

Thor and the others had decked themselves out with some real weapons and some leather armor and started their long trek into the forest. They weren't going to go bilgesnipe hunting unequipped with gear, but after a while of walking they began to feel the toll of the extra weight.

Hogun and Thor were the only ones not complaining.

"I hunger!" Volstagg whined, not for the first time. They all ignored him.

"Maybe I should have grabbed a lighter sword," Fandral panted, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"We took the lightest ones," Sif pointed out.

"What, getting tired?" Thor said teasingly, turning his head to glance back at them. He was striding ahead in the lead of their assemble.

Fandral scowled at Thor's back. "If you're so strong, why don't you carry my sword too?" He suggested sourly.

"If you'd like," Thor offered. He stopped walking and turned around, holding a hand out expectantly. "I don't mind carrying your weapons if you're starting to feel fatigue."

"No, I'm fine," Fandral said hurriedly. "I was just kidding."

"If you say so," Thor shrugged, continuing on.

"I hunger!" Volstagg complained again. "It must be nearly lunchtime now!"

"Have patience friend, it's not nearly lunch yet," Thor said. He waited at the top of the hill they'd been climbing, breathing in the scent of decaying leaves as he waited for the rest to catch up. The sunlight filtered through the canopy, speckling the dark forest with light. As they'd been walking, the trees had grown larger, older, gnarlier, spaced father apart and with more bracken for the group to push through.

"But I'm _starved," _Volstagg protested as he reached the rise.

"You're not going to die, Volstagg," Sif sighed exasperatedly.

"Can't we stop and eat something?" Volstagg continued nagging, "Please tell me somebody brought food?"

Everyone suddenly paused, biting their lips in realization.

"We forgot food," Hogun said in his typical grim manner, stating what they all were thinking.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Volstagg wailed, collapsing to the ground. "I can not go a step further without sustenance!"

They all glanced at each other warily. They'd gone too far to head back, but they could all feel hunger gnawing at their stomachs.

"You're all idiots!"

Thor and the others whirled around to see Loki suddenly pop out of the ferns beside them.

"I brought your lunch for you!" He said, grinning at their shocked expressions. He pulled a large woven basket out from the shrubs behind him and pulled a blanket out, which he spread out on the forest floor, before setting the basket in the center.

"Anyone care for a picnic?" He said brightly.

"Loki you're a savior!" Volstagg declared, practically throwing himself at the basket.

"Hank hyu," he mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Thor laughed at the freckled boy's antics, before sitting down cross-legged on the blanket and helping himself as well, with a murmured "Yes, thank you, brother."

Sif, Fandral and Hogun, taking a bit longer to get over their surprise at Loki's unforseen appearance, finally sat down as well.

"Oh wow, you even brought the Kjøttkaker with lingonberry relish!" Volstagg exclaimed excitedly.  
"And pikekyss!" Fandral hooted, taking out the dessert.

"Loki, how did you get all this?" Thor asked in wonder.

"I told the kitchen staff we were going on a picnic, and they kindly packed the basket for me," Loki answered.

Sif finished a slice of grovbrød, before asking suspiciously "Were you following us the entire time, Loki?"

The younger prince let a small smirk creep onto his lips.

* * *

Once they were done and had packed the dishes (there weren't any leftovers: Volstagg finished everything,) and packed them and the blanket back into the basket, Thor said "We are deeply grateful to you for bring lunch, Loki, but you shouldn't have come."

Loki blinked at his big brother.

"It's just that this is too dangerous for you," Thor tried to explain.

"I fail to see how this is any more dangerous for myself than it is for you," Loki said, crossing his arms over his thin chest.

"Brother," Thor sighed, his eyes concerned, "You just don't have what it takes for this sort of thing."

"I have magic, which is something none of you have," Loki pointed out.

"Your _tricks_ can't help us, Loki," Sif said, staring him down.

Loki stared back, and finally Sif blinked and averted her gaze.

Volstagg came over and clapped Loki on the back. "Let him stay," the red-head advocated, "We wouldn't have gotten any farther had he not brought sustenance; which is something we all forgot."

Hogun nodded imperceptibly, and Fandral and Sif couldn't find any point to argue with that.

"Alright," Thor conceded, "But he at least needs a weapon to defend himself."

Loki snorted, flicking a dagger from each sleeve so they slipped neatly in each hand. He winked at Thor before concealing the blades again, before any of the others noticed, as they had already begun turning away to start walking.

"Never mind," Thor amended.

* * *

**I had to look up some Norwegian dishes for this chapter XD **

******Kjøttkaker** - meatcakes: rough and large cakes of ground beef, onion and salt and pepper. Roughly the size of a child's fist. Generally served with sauce espagnol. Potatoes, stewed peas or cabbage and carrots are served on the side. Many like to use a jam of lingonberries as a relish.

**Baked meringues are known as "pikekyss", literally translated as "girl's kiss".**

******Grovbrød is a popular kind of course bread. **  


******And on another note, I started writing the one-shot! It could take a while for me to finish though, since there's only a couple days a week where I have any time for writing, and sometimes even those get filled with other stuff, so... but it will be up eventually! ^.^ **

******And on yet another note, I just HAD to put the Hiddleston quote in there and have Loki say that :3 It's a goal of mine to include all of Tom's Loki'd pranks in some form or another in my stories... one down, two more to go! ;) **

******Please leave a review and let me know what you think! **


	42. Chapter 42

**Thank you all so much! And I know I say this every time, but your support truly means the world to me! *-* **

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter ^.^**

* * *

"So," Loki tried, after they'd been trekking aimlessly in the woods for an hour, "How do you plan on hunting this bilgesnipe?"

The others all glanced at each other awkwardly.

"Well, we didn't give it much thought..." Fandral admitted.

"How hard could it be, though?" Thor shrugged. "We find a bilgesnipe, and then we kill it. Simple as that!"

Loki resisted the urge face palm. "Do you know _anything _about bilgesnipe?" he asked in disbelief.

"They're large, scaly, big antlers," Thor supplied, furrowing his brow in thought. "I think..."

Loki took a deep breath, letting the air hiss slowly through his teeth. He remained silent for a few minutes, as they continued walking, practically wading through the bracken that often reached higher than their heads. At times they had to get down on their hands and knees and crawl through patches of brambles, branches and thorns catching at their clothes and scratching at their skin.

"Well, do you know where to find bilgesnipe?" Loki inquired finally.

"I assume they live somewhere around here," Thor shrugged, waving his hand to encompass everything they could see. This consisted mostly of towering, rough-barked trees and the encompassing flora, which let them see maybe a meter or so ahead.

"Right," Loki drawled out. They obviously hadn't done _any _research _whatsoever_ before rashly dashing off in search of beasts that could be mythical, for all they knew.

They weren't though, of course. But they might as well be for all the likelihood that the group would come across one in this forest. Bilgesnipe, being huge beasts, lived in the open grasslands, not in the dense woodland.

It would have been fairly quiet as they walked, except for the soft crunch of boots on leaves, the snapping of twigs and branches, and the constant background of complaints.

"I hunger!"

"Not _again, _Volstagg. We just ate!"

"I tire!"

"Ouch! That bush attacked me!"

"My feet hurt."

"Are we _ever _going to find a bilgesnipe?"

"Stop complaining! It's getting on my nerves."

"Oh? And who's complaining now?"

Loki followed silently behind the group, occasionally rolling his eyes at their bickering. He'd suggest they go back, but they'd never agree to it, especially not coming from him. They might head back if they got tired enough though.

He finally joined in their conversation, a mischievous spark lighting his green eyes, making them flicker a shade lighter.

"I'm bored."

* * *

Thor froze, his eyes widening in alarm. "Uh oh..."

"What? What is it?" Sif said, putting her hand on her sword hilt. "Did you hear something?"

"Yes," Thor confirmed.

"What did you hear?" Sif prodded.

"Friends," Thor began, turning around to look at them. "We just might have a problem on our hands."

Sif huffed in annoyance. "What is it?!" She pressed.

"My brother," Thor answered.

"What, me?" Loki asked innocently, coming up behind his brother. "What did I do?"

"Whenever you say you're bored, something always..." Thor trailed off, staring at his hand, which now held a loaf of bread he'd pulled out of his scabbard, instead of his sword.

"LOKI!" Thor cried, turning to glare at his brother, at the same time Volstagg shouted "FOOD!"

"It wasn't me," Loki said, shaking his head hurriedly, although the hilt of Thor's sword could be seen over Loki's shoulder where he'd strapped it to his back.

"Give me my sword back!" Thor ordered. "How am I supposed to fight bilgesnipe without it?"

"Wasn't me!" Loki repeated, as he turned and ran off.

Thor began chasing after Loki, the loaf of bread still clutched in his hand.

"Noooo! I want that bread!" Volstagg exclaimed, chasing after Thor.

Hogun tucked his hands in his pockets to watch, creasing his forehead when he found something in his left pocket. Pulling it out, he saw his own face reflected back to him in a hand held mirror. He looked like he normally did, with his grim expression (it's his thinking face,) only he noticed that the black hat he'd been wearing was missing. Glancing around, he saw that it was on Volstagg's head, as the boy ran off into the forest.

"Volstagg," Hogun growled, running after him to retrieve his hat.

"Hey," Fandral exclaimed, seeing the mirror in Hogun's hand. "That's mine! Give it back, you sissy! "

"Fandral," Sif grit out, "What did I tell you about using sexist comments?"

Fandral glanced back at her nervously and quickly dashed off, Sif hot on his heels.

* * *

By now everyone was panting.

Loki continued to weave through the trees, dive under brambles, roll back to his feet and vault over fallen logs, everyone else following behind, trying to catch the person in front of them while simultaneously trying to avoid the person chasing them.

As Thor finally caught up to him, Loki crinkled his nose as he felt the sudden tickling sensation that he was about to sneeze. Thor reached for him, about to grab his shoulder, and Loki made to teleport a few feet away, but he sneezed just at that moment. It was a strangely kitten-like sound.

His aim was thrown off by the sneeze, and all at once Loki found himself deposited roughly in the branches of a tree. Unable to grab hold, Loki tumbled down a couple levels of branches before finally ending up hanging by his knees on one of the lowest branches, which was still a good ways above the ground.

Thor glanced around in confusion as Loki disappeared and the sword suddenly fell at his feet, before seeing Loki hanging by his knees above him.

"Loki! What are you—" Thor started, only to be tackled by Volstagg.

The red-head grabbed the bread of Thor's hand, but as Thor began to push himself to his feet, Hogun crashed into Volstagg, who in turn fell back into Thor, so all three of them ended up on the ground, soon joined by Fandral and Sif.

"That's my hat!" Hogun growled gruffly, taking his hat from Volstagg's head, even as he was tackled by Fandral, who was shouting "Give me back my mirror!"

Sif kneed Fandral where it counts.

"Ow!" Fandral cried, doubling over.

"I'm sick and tired of you making jeering comments about being a girl!" Sif snapped angrily.

Loki watched them for a few moments while upside-down, before bending up and grabbing the branch, swinging his feet over so he was hanging by his hands, then dropping to the ground and landing in a crouch.

"Get off me!" Thor said, frustrated. After a few punches, he finally managed to disentangle himself and pick up his sword, reattaching it to his belt.

He turned back around, only to get kicked in the shins so that he fell, entering back into the brawl.

Loki raised his eyebrows slightly, before sitting down against a tree to wait.

* * *

Several minutes later, they were all lying on the ground gasping for breath, having finally sorted out their possessions.

Fanral was staring up at the canopy, his chest heaving. "Who votes we head... back to the castle?" he suggested. "I don't think we're... every going to find... a bilgesnipe."

Four hands and one foot (courtesy of Loki) were raised into the air.

"You're outvoted, Thor," Sif pointed out, as the elder prince scowled.

"Fine," he relented, pushing himself to his feet. He didn't seem to notice the plethora of leaves and twigs that were stuck in his hair as he helped everyone to their feet.

He pursed his lips and scanned the area for a moment, trying to determine which direction the castle was, before making up his mind and striding off into the trees.

"You're going the wrong way," Loki called, not moving as everyone else made to follow Thor.

"No I'm not," Thor said confidently.

Loki sighed.

* * *

**That chapter was long but mostly pointless... I'm in a weird mood and got a little carried away with randomness... but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! **

**Don't worry though, they WILL encounter a bilgesnipe! Probably next chapter :3**

**For anybody who didn't get the reference in the previous chapter and has not seen the MTV video "Loki'd" with Tom Hiddleston and Josh Horowitz, go to MTV dot com, search "Loki'd" and watch it now. You will laugh. I promise :D (Directions courtesy of KungFu Jedi) **

**On a completely random note: I was on FF, and then I went to write my chapter, and then I came back and I was like O.O What in Midgard happened?! FF totally changed appearance, and I don't think it's just me because it happened to my sister too... we kind of freaked out XD Not that I'm against change or anything... it was just surprising... and now you can change the fonts O.o Was that always possible? And you can make it light on dark instead of dark on light... and it looks different... and now I'm really being ridiculous XD**

**Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think! **


	43. Chapter 43

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH I LOVE YOU I REALLY DO YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! **

* * *

Loki got to his feet leisurely, stretching towards the canopy and flexing his pale, slender fingers. As he followed a ways behind the group, he wondered idly if Thor would ever admit to being lost.

It had only been a few minutes of walking when sunlight started slanting through the trees in beams from the side, suggesting an edge to the forest ahead.

Loki's eyes widened in alarmed realization, and he called out "Thor! Thor, wait!" starting to run to catch up to them.

But Thor didn't hear him, and burst out of the woods.

Thor and the others stared and gawked, Loki coming up beside them in a matter of moments.

"What _is _that?" Thor gasped out. His voice was choked with repulsion.

Down below them was a large expanse of grasslands, a good-sized lake not twenty meters ahead of them.

The beast that had been drinking lifted its head and looked up at them, water dripping from its long, discolored fangs.

It was rough and scaled, a lusterless shade of black on top, its neck and underside the dark red of dried blood. Yellow eyes that were relatively small for a creature of its massive size stared out from beneath branching antlers that adorned its blunt head like a warped and twisted crown, the sharp points glistening wetly in the light. Its mouth hung open slightly, giving them a full view of its countless serrated teeth, sickly green saliva dripping from its forked tongue. The body of the creature was stocky and sturdily-built, its muscles rippling visibly beneath its scales at it shifted its weight, wide nostrils flaring. Its long tail oscillated back in forth in menace, sporting a large, bony club. Thick claws threatened to rip up the soil with every step it took in their direction.

"That," Loki told them, his voice low, "Is a bilgesnipe. And I highly suggest we back away slowly and quietly into the shelter of the forest before it deems us a suitable meal."

"_That's _a bilgesnipe?!" Thor exclaimed, astonished.

"Shhh!" Loki hissed warningly.

But it was too late. At the sound of Thor's voice the monster charged forward furiously, the young gods throwing themselves to the side to avoid being impaled or trampled.

Rolling back to their feet they stood to face it, drawing their weapons. Thor, the tallest of them, didn't even reach the creature's knee.

The bilgesnipe roared, and they could smell its hot, fetid breath. It stank of rotting corpses.

Adrenaline pumped through their veins as Thor, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg and Loki spread out.

Loki ran through the beast's legs, eyes darting around as he tried to search for some sort of advantage, while the others slashed at its feet. Their weapons had no affect on the bilgesnipe, simply bouncing off its tough armor.

Though the bilgesnipe was huge, it had many blindspots, and the creatures that darted around it were infuriatingly small. It spun in circles, swinging its tail and thrashing its head, its antlers gouging the air as it tried to snap up the annoying beings.

Loki's mind was whirring in overdrive. It wouldn't be long till somebody got injured or killed, and he needed to act quickly or they'd all die; they didn't stand a chance against the bilgesnipe. Not them. But maybe...

Suddenly he heard a cry of pain, and turned to see Thor get scratched by the bilgesnipe's fangs as he narrowly avoided being snapped up in its jaws.

"Thor!" Loki called desperately, ducking as the creature's tail flew over his head, knocking aside Volstagg and Sif.

"Loki!" Thor yelled back. He was clutching his sword arm with his left, his teeth gritted, but for the moment he would live, assuming he didn't get killed or more seriously injured, which he no doubt would if this kept up much longer.

Thor's fiery eyes shifting to more anger than the fear from before, a sure sign of about-to-occur rashness.

"Thor, listen to me!" Loki said forcefully, "Lead the bilgesnipe over here!"

"What are you doing?" Thor shouted, as Loki sprinted to the edge of the forest, shimmying up the nearest tree faster than he'd ever done.

"Saving our lives!" Loki answered, positioning himself on a branch.

Thor bit his lip but nodded, diving underneath the beast. He dashed out from under the bilgesnipe's nose, taunting "Come and try to get me, you dull creature!"

Enraged, the bilgsnipe chased after the him, knocking aside Sif and the other boys in the process.

Thor ran as fast as he could into the forest, right beneath the branch Loki was perched on. As the bilgesnipe passed beneath him, Loki leaped down, landing lightly on its back.

"Thor, get out of the way!" The younger boy exclaimed. Thor obeyed, throwing himself sideways beneath a large bush.

Meanwhile, Loki clutched onto the bilgesnipe's antlers, which were far thicker around than he was, and whispered words of magic.

* * *

The bilgesnipe tossed its head around in confusion for the little prey that had disappeared. Suddenly it spotted them again, in the bracken in front of it. With a roar of triumph, the beast crashed towards them. This time, _this time, _it would bite them in half and gouge on their warm, bloody bodies, small as they were.

But it couldn't catch them. They stayed just out of reach ahead of the bilgsnipe, and it chased after them, knocking down trees and crashing through the forest without a second thought, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

* * *

Loki couldn't help crying out as the branches of trees whipped against him and almost knocked him off the bilgesnipe's head, but he clenched his teeth and concentrated on holding on, and keeping up the illusion that kept the bilgsnipe racing through the forest.

The antlers of the beast were slick with some substance that he was pretty sure was toxic, and had he not been distracted and full of adrenaline he might have wretched from the noxious taste the smell left in his mouth. As it was he was more concerned with slipping off before his desired location was reached.

* * *

The Asgardian warriors glanced at each other in confusion, not quite sure why they'd been ordered by Odin, who had apparently been told something by Heimdall, and they were to stand ready at the edge of the forest. All they knew was that something was apparently coming, but they didn't question the orders of the King.

So they waited.

They didn't have to wait long, however, before they heard a tremendous crashing, the sound of wood splintering, and the vibrations of something large traveling through the ground beneath their feet.

They readied their blades, and when the bilgsnipe charged out of the forest, they attacked without hesitation.

* * *

As the bilgsnipe came to a sudden halt, Loki's grip slipped and he was thrown forward harshly, the momentum throwing him straight through the wall of the stables. He smashed through several stalls, freaking out the horses, before finally slowing down enough that he hit a wall and stopped, sliding to the ground.

He felt something warm on his face. Groaning, he rolled over, opening his eyes to see a dappled gray horse snuffling him in concern.

"Hi," Loki managed, lifting a trembling hand to stroke the mare's nose. "Sorry about crashing into your stall like that. It was incredibly rude."

The horse nickered softly, as if accepting the apology.

Loki slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing in pain, his breathing harsh. The mare nudged him, and he gratefully slung an arm over her neck as she helped him to stand up.

He steadied himself, before turning his head to look at the imposing figure now standing over him.

Loki swallowed, his mouth coated in blood, but he managed a shaky "Hello, father."

* * *

**There's that bilgsnipe I promised y'all! **

**Okay that chapter was really fun to write :D I hope you enjoyed it! I have no idea what bilgesnipe look like, so I made it up :P I hope the description was adequate... I wanted it to be dangerous, and something WAY out of our little gods' abilities O.O I think they're incredibly lucky they got off with as little injuries as they did... **

**So! Some somebodies will be getting in trouble... but I'm really bad with punishments, so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them! **

**Review, please? ^.^ I would threaten you with a bilgsnipe, but... I really don't want any of you to have to deal with one. **

**(On a random note, I've posted the links to FeZeTh13's pictures for this story on my profile because the links actually show up there, so if you haven't seen them, you should check them out! :3 **

**And if gamingcharacter is reading this, I would like your permission to post yours as well, if you'd be okay with that ^.^ ) **


	44. Chapter 44

**Hi! Thank you all so much for the faves, alerts and reviews! Your support keeps me going! :D**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter ^.^**

* * *

"_Loki," _Odin started, his eyes widening as his son turned to look at him.

Loki's shirt was ripped in places,and he was covered in bloody lashes across his face and arms, dark, black and purple bruises already forming on his pale skin. A noxious, corrosive-looking green substance was smeared across him, and his whole body was trembling, his jaw gritted as against the pain.

"I'll fix it," Loki interrupted hurriedly, waving his hand. As he did so he murmured a few words and the walls he'd been thrown through fixed themselves, the splinters of wood coming back together and fixing the gaping holes he'd left. "Now if you'll excuse me, but bef—"

"WHAT IN THE NINE REALMS WERE YOU THINKING?!" The Allfather roared furiously. "YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF AND OTHERS KILLED! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THOSE MONSTERS ARE?!"

"Father—" Loki tried.

"BY LEADING THAT BILGESNIPE HERE, YOU COULD HAVE CAUSED A COMPLETE DISASTER! IF HEIMDALL HADN'T TOLD ME—"

"_Father!" _Loki snapped, quickly losing what little patience he'd had. All he was trying to do was inform Odin of Thor's condition. If Thor didn't get to the Healing Rooms within half an hour, the venom will have spread through his whole body... "_If you would stop shouting and just listen to me for a moment—" _

"DON'T THINK THERE IS ANY WAY YOU'RE TALKING YOURSELF OUT OF THIS! AND YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNT—" he broke off as Loki disappeared, the words '_until you're healed,' _dying on his lips.

* * *

As soon as Loki appeared in the forest, he fell to his knees, retching.

"Loki!" Thor exclaimed, stumbling over to his little brother. "What happened? Are you alright? Oh gods, you look awful!" he said, as Loki looked up at him.

Loki wiped his mouth on his grimy sleeve. "Speak for yourself," Loki said snarkily, eying Thor. The older boy was uncharacteristically pale, and sweat was beading on his brow as he clutched his right arm to his body. His muscles seemed to be spasming slightly.

"You need to get to the Healer's Rooms," Loki bit out urgently. "Did anybody else get bitten?" he demanded, reaching out and taking his brother by the hand.

Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg all shook their heads, their expressions confused and worried.

"Good." Loki nodded shortly, and with that he teleported Thor and himself away.

* * *

Odin has just stepped outside to see that his warriors had succeeded in killing the bilgesnipe, when he heard Frigga shriek "Loki! Thor!" and turned to see her run over to the two boys who had just appeared by the field.

Both boys were on the verge of collapsing, and Loki gasped "Thor got bitten by the bilgesnipe... the venom... Healer's Rooms..." Frigga caught him his eyes fluttered shut and he slumped forward. The Allfather was there in a moment and had gathered a trembling Thor into his arms, the boy's skin feverish against his own, and he and his Queen quickly carried their kids into the castle.

* * *

**I just had to do that bit of alliteration there at the end :P**

**So... that chapter was really short, and pretty much just whump... but... the next chapter will be longer and have less sadness :3 **

**Please review! I love hearing from you! ^.^**


	45. Chapter 45

**A huge thanks to everyone who has faved, alerted, and reviewed! I know I keep telling you this, but your support means SO MUCH to me ^.^**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Loki came around to consciousness, becoming first aware of the fact that his whole body _hurt, _and he wasn't sure why.

Suddenly it all flooded back to him: the bilgesnipe, riding it into Asgard, crashing through the stables, and—"Thor!" Loki gasped, wrenching his eyes open and making a move to sit up.

"Shhh love," A comforting voice murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently pushing him back down.

Loki looked up into Frigga's blue eyes, and she smiled softly at him. "Don't worry, Thor is fine," she told him soothingly.

"Where is he?" Loki asked.

"'M right here."

Loki sat up, more careful this time, and Frigga propped some pillows behind him as he turned to see his brother in the bed next to him, on the other side of Frigga. Thor opened his blue eyes a crack, before groaning tiredly and burying his head beneath his pillow, curling in on himself.

"You two gave us quite a scare," Frigga said, the strain evident in her voice. "I was so afraid..."

Loki leaned over and hugged her, and she returned the embrace gratefully, ruffling his black hair as a smile tugged at her lips.

"So, what did the healers say?" Loki inquired, pulling away slightly to look at her.

Frigga traced her thumb across one of the swiftly healing scars on her son's cheek. "You will both recover fully, but you must stay in the Healing Rooms for the next few days."

Thor chose that moment to roll over again, this time falling off the bed and landing on the floor with a thud.

"Ow," he groaned halfheartedly. He then crawled up onto the bed Loki was in, avoiding using his bandaged right arm, and snuggled up next to his little brother.

Frigga watched her sons amusedly as Loki sighed in exasperation, though he moved over to make room for his older brother and put an arm around Thor's shoulders, almost protectively.

Loki noticed that Thor's skin was burning as the older boy leaned against him, but he couldn't be sure whether it was because Thor was febrile, or whether he himself was just cold.

Commanding footsteps warned of the Allfather's approach before Odin had even entered the Healing Rooms. Upon doing so, he sat on the edge of the bed Thor had recently vacated.

The Allfather's expression softened. "I'm relieved to see you both awake and healing," he said, before taking on a more serious tone. "Now, what happened? From what I've gathered from your accomplices, you all went out into the forest for a picnic, and Loki tricked everyone into running into a bilgesnipe. Is this true?"

Loki's face betrayed an expression between confusion, indignation, and hurt, as he opened his mouth and started to say "No, I—" before closing it again when Odin glared at him skeptically.

Loki's eyes fell in resignation to where his right hand gripped a fistful of white sheet, his left hand tightening almost imperceptibly around Thor's shoulder.

"Is it true?" Odin repeated forcefully.

"Yes," Loki mumbled, not looking up at his father. Trying to deny the accusation would only result in being called a liar.

At that Thor looked up from where his head had been resting in Loki's lap."What?!" He demanded, incensed. "That is a ridiculous notion! Brother, why are you lying?"

Loki looked at Thor, perplexed.

Frigga watched them all with a concerned expression on her face.

"Father," Thor said, turning to look at the Odin. "Loki saved us all. The others and I had gone out into the forest to search for bilgesnipe, but Loki followed us. It was my idea, not his. When we came across a bilgesnipe, we couldn't do anything against it, and we would surely have been killed had Loki not led it away."

"Loki, which story is true?" This time it was Frigga, her voice gentle.

The dark haired boy paused, glancing between Thor and his parents, before saying finally "Thor does not lie."

"Then why did you? Why would you be prepared to take the blame for something that wasn't your fault?" Frigga's voice was genuinely concerned.

Loki finally looked up, to find his brother and parents all staring at him. He shook his head and brought his knees closer to his chest, unable to explain that it's easier to work with a lie that is supposed true than to protest with a truth that will only be assumed a lie, and get punished the worse for trying. He wasn't even sure why he felt _so_ _fully_ that people will believe only what they want to believe, but something in his gut twisted with that unspoken fact; much like it did when he fell into the beckoning arms of sleep knowing that it would bring naught but nightmares.

* * *

**So... I hope this chapter wasn't quite as sad as the last one, although I did listen to some maybe-just-slightly-depressing songs while writing this, and I'm not sure how much that came out in the writing... usually I try to listen to upbeat/energetic songs... anyway, I tried to make sure there was some fluff in there :3**

**A review would really make my day! ^.^ **


	46. Chapter 46

**Have I mentioned that I love you all? Because you people are AMAZING! *-* **

**Hugs and cookies for everyone! (::) (::) (::) **

* * *

"Ugh," Thor groaned, leaning back against the pillows. "This is awful!"

Thor had been moved back to his own bed, but Loki had then got in with his older brother, and had glared so intensely at anyone who tried to move him that they finally left the two princes alone.

At the moment Loki was lying down with his head in Thor's lap, and if he hadn't been tapping his foot, it would have looked like he was asleep. "What's awful? Being stuck in the Healing Rooms for the next few days, or that your punishment is to help out in the Kitchens?" Loki asked, without opening his eyes.

"Both!" Thor said.

"Oh come on, it won't be that bad," Loki consoled, sitting up and facing Thor, his legs crossed.

"Yeah right," Thor grumped, "It's so boring in here! And at least for your punishment you get to work in the stables with the horses."

"Oh yes, I get to shovel out the stables. Joy." Loki said, rolling his green eyes at the ceiling.

Thor snorted. "At least you have the danger have getting kicked by a horse. That's got to be more interesting!"

"You have the danger of dropping one of the heavy cauldrons you're going to be cleaning on your foot," Loki pointed out, smirking.

Thor groaned again, taking one of the pillows out from behind him and covering his face with it. "Mother gives the worst punishments," he mumbled, barely audible. "We're the Princes of Asgard!"

"Maybe she's trying to humble you, so that you won't go out to try to hunt bilgesnipe when you can't even defeat a dirty pot," Loki teased.

Thor threw the pillow at Loki who caught it, smirking, and threw it back into Thor's face. He then got up off the foot of Thor's bed and danced over to the other side of the room, where one of the healers was mixing a potion.

Being princes, they were sharing a smaller side chamber with a store of herbs, instead of in the main Healing Rooms with all the other patients, which was usually well-occupied and bustling with activity.

"That's it," Thor growled, making to get up.

"Thor!" The healer exclaimed, glaring at the older prince, who paused. "You're not allowed to get out of bed for another few days!"

"But—"

"No buts!" The healer said, putting her hands on her hips. "If you keep insist on trying to get up, then we _will _chain you down."

"You would _dare_ chain the son of Odin!?" Thor demanded angrily.

The healer looked at the young prince, unfazed. "I will do what I have to to make sure my patients heal," she said, before turning and exiting the chamber.

"That's not fair!" Thor burst out furiously, "How come you get to move around, but I'm not allowed to?!"

Loki came back over to him, and poked him lightly in the shoulder. "Because _I _didn't get myself bitten by a bilgesnipe. If you did get up, you'd only make it a few steps before you'd collapse."

"I feel fine!" Thor protested resentfully, when his brother continued to smirk at him.

"Uh huh," Loki drawled out. "Is that why you're still sweaty and trembling?"

"Am not!"

Loki raised an eyebrow, but Thor just crossed his arms and stared at him stubbornly.

They stayed that way for several moments.

"Guess what I'm thinking," Thor said finally.

"Ooh, this game!" Loki said, grinning playfully and sitting down on the bed opposite Thor, putting his chin in his hand as he stared at his brother. "You're thinking that you want to sneak out of the Healing Rooms and head down to the Kitchens to get some dessert, and then go down to the training fields."

Thor widened his eyes at his little brother, who just grinned back at him. "How did you know?! Fine. What am I thinking now?"

"Now you're thinking that if you think of something random, like that krumkake tastes really good, I couldn't possibly guess what you're thinking," Loki said, chuckling when he saw confirmation in Thor's astonished face.

"Now what am I thinking?" Thor asked, determined to stump his brother.

Loki tilted his head to the side. "You're thinking about how you want to get revenge on the bilgesnipe for ending you up stuck in the Healing Rooms."

"Stop reading my mind!" Thor wailed, tangling his fingers in his blond hair and curling into a ball.

"You're the one who asked," Loki laughed.

Thor peeked out from behind the hair now covering his face. "How do you do that?!"

"You're practically an open book, Thor," Loki snorted, though his eyes shone amusedly.

Thor pouted.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! People seemed to be needing some nice brotherly fluffiness after the sadness in the last chapters ^.^ Think of it as like, fluffical-relief ;) **

**God. Of mischief: I'm so sorry! Nobody should _ever _have to feel like that T_T *hugs* **

**I'm so sorry the update is kind of late! I got about two hours sleep last night because I was up late doing homework, and then today I was like, dead, and I lay down in the evening and woke up three and half hours later to find that it was dark outside, like "Oh gods I need to post tonight!" And I absolutely freaked out XD **

**Leave a review, please? ^.^ They make my day! **


	47. Chapter 47

**Thank you all so much for all your support of this story! I'm absolutely honored to have such amazing readers ^.^ **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"This stuck-in-bed-for-days-not-able-to-do-anything bores me," Thor complained, punching one of the pillows on the bed.

"Well, we can't have that now, can we," Loki smirked. Putting down the book he'd been reading, he came over and sat on the foot of Thor's bed.

"What?" Thor asked, his eyes widening in apprehension of what Loki was planning.

"Answer me this," Loki said coolly."Only one color, but not one size, stuck at the bottom yet easily flies, present in sun, but not in rain, doing no harm, and feeling no pain. What is it?"

"Bird!" Thor exclaimed immediately.

"Birds are only one color, stuck at the bottom, present in the sun but not the rain, and don't feel pain?" Loki asked skeptically, raising his eyebrows. Absently, he traced words of elvish on the sheets with his fingers, waiting as Thor pursed his lips in thought.

"Rocks?" Thor guessed, lifting his eyes to look at his little brother hopefully.

"No," Loki shook his head, causing his dark hair to fall into his eyes. He tucked the tresses behind his ears. "Are rocks only one color, easily fly, and disappear when it rains?"

Loki's fingers transitioned to dwarfish as he continued watching his brother puzzle over the riddle.

"Pants?" Thor tried.

Loki blinked in bemusement, asking "How in all of Asgard did you come up with that?!"

Thor just huffed, sticking his tongue out at his little brother.

"Don't over think it," Loki suggested. "It's quite simple."

"Maybe for you," Thor grumbled, staring up at the golden ceiling. "I hate riddles," he declared decidedly.

"Come on, it's good for you to use your mind every once in a while!" Loki teased. He moved on to writing in Jotun, his fingers dancing across the sheet, leaving no mark behind to read.

Thor mouthed the words of the riddle to himself, furrowing his brow as he continued glaring at the innocent ceiling that dared to be in his line of sight.

Suddenly his face brightened and he sat up, the movement knocking several pillows off the bed. "Clouds?"

"Slightly closer," Loki acknowledged.

"Mist? Fog? Snow? Frost? Dew?" Thor blurted,

Loki sighed, amending "Not that close."

Thor groaned, letting his head fall into his hands. "Alright, what is it?"

"You're not giving up, are you, brother?" Loki inquired.

"Yes! I give up!"

Loki's fingers stilled. "It was shadows."

Thor paused, running the riddle through his mind once more, the realization hitting him. "Why didn't I guess that?!" he asked rhetorically, taking a pillow and covering his face with it. "That's so obvious!"

Loki smiled smugly, his eyes glittering, seeming to shift shades of green in the flickering light from the burning fireplace on the other side of the room.

"I told you it was simple," he pointed out.

"You don't have to sound so smug about it," Thor muttered, tossing the pillow away where it joined the others on the ground.

Loki slipped off the edge of Thor's bed and grabbed the pillows, tossing them into his brother's lap.

"Of course I do! I'm your brother, aren't I? It's part of the etiquette," Loki said brightly.

Thor frowned at the pillows that now surrounded him on all sides. "You'd think they were trying to suffocate me or something," he grumbled, tactlessly changing the subject.

"Oh, I don't think you have quite enough pillows," Loki said offhandedly.

"I think I have more than enough," Thor argued, pushing the pillows away from himself.

"It's not enough until you can build a fort with them," Loki grinned, leaping up onto his infirmary bed and tossing all of those pillows onto Thor's bed as well.

"Brother!" Thor protested, raising his arms to shield himself from the pillow onslaught.

Loki giggled.

* * *

"We came to see Thor," Sif said, as the healer stared at her and the three boys critically.

"Thor is still healing, and shouldn't be disturbed. Come back in few days," the healer ordered.

"Just five minutes," Fandral pleaded, "And then we'll leave, we promise."

"We just want to see how he's faring and make sure he's okay," Sif added.

The healer sighed. "Five minutes, and not a second more."

* * *

When they entered the room, they stopped, staring in disbelief.

At the opposite wall of the room were two beds pressed against the wall; one was stripped and empty—the other had been turned into a pillow fortress, complete with turrets and the long, thin vertical windows that archers generally shoot through.

It shouldn't have been possible for it to stand without toppling over.

Volstagg guffawed.

"Where did you get all those...?" The healer asked, before glancing back into the main room, noticing that all the unoccupied beds had considerably less pillows than usual.

"Thor?" Sif called, somewhat hesitantly.

The elder prince stuck his head out the door of the castle (which was provided by a sheet,) his long blond hair having a distinctly bed-head look as it stuck up in odd places and fell into his face.

"My friends!" He grinned, crawling out of the fort and tumbling unceremoniously to the floor, before picking himself up.

"Never have I been more glad to see you!" he declared, embracing them.

"Thor," The healer scolded, "You should not be walking about."

"Clearly, however, I feel fine," Thor shrugged. "I might even be able to leave the Healing Rooms a day early!"

"That is not for your to decide," The healer said severely.

"But—"

"No buts!"

Thor grumbled to himself, crossing his arms in a pouty manner.

"You have four more minutes," The healer informed them, before taking her leave.

* * *

Loki lay on his stomach in the pillow fortress, his feet swinging up and down in the air, his head resting on his arms as he listened to Thor and his friends talk.

"It's good to see you in good health and high spirits!"

"You should have _seen _your parents yelling at us."

"It was terrifying!"

"And the punishments are—"

"No dessert! For a month! THE WORLD IS ENDING!"

"No it's not, Volstagg."

"Oh Thor! You should have been there when he were walking back to Asgard, there was this HUGE spider, and—"

"Shut it, Fandral."

"No way, Hogun.

"Actually, I believe both you boys screamed."

"That was only because it was crawling on my leg, Sif!"

"And yet it was _I _that had to squash it."

"It was _disgusting."_

"Don't be such a wimp."

Loki tuned them out, making a small gesture with his hands, and with a single thought he made the book he'd been reading earlier, that had been on the bedside table, appear in his hands. He opened it up to where he left off, his green eyes flicking over the lilting elvish writing.

He was doing a reasonable job of ignoring them until he heard his own name.

"It was Loki's fault."

Loki closed his eyes, letting his forehead rest on the musty-smelling pages of the tome. He was seriously considering putting a sound-blocking spell on the fortress. Then maybe he'd be able to get a few minutes of reading in without being interrupted by people, who by all rights owed him their lives, blaming everything on him.

* * *

When Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg were kicked out by the healer and Thor crawled back into the pillow fort, he found Loki reading. Glancing over his younger brother's shoulder, Thor frowned at the unreadable script. It just looked like a bunch of swirly lines and dots.

Lying down perpendicular to his brother, Thor slung an arm over Loki's back, resting his head on the younger boy's ribcage.

Feeling Loki's steady breathing, Thor closed his eyes, the tiredness he'd been too stubborn to acknowledge creeping up on him.

Loki gave an unseen smile as his older brother fell asleep.

* * *

**Eheheheh, you get some more brotherly fluff! I just couldn't help myself... :3 **

**I got the riddle from a dragonology book that I have :) **

**Guest: I get so confused about their ages, with them being immortal and everything, and I don't know how time in Asgard passes compared to time on Midgard O.o But I think that ****they're basically the same age as the beginning of this story, though they are a few 'months' or whatever older XD I don't think this story has spanned for a whole lot of time... **

******Please leave a review? ^.^ I love hearing what you think! **


	48. Chapter 48

**Heya! Here's the next chapter! And I LOVE YOU ALL! *-* Truly, I am SO grateful for all your support ^.^ **

* * *

Frigga walked into the room, widening her eyes at the pillow fortress. She paused for a moment, simply staring at it, before laughing as a pair of green eyes and a pair of blue eyes peeked through the arrow slits at her.

Her two sons tumbled out the door and ran over, embracing her.

"How are you two feeling?" Frigga asked kindly.

"Significantly better, thanks," Loki answered politely, before grinning Thor punched him lightly in the arm.

"Same," Thor said. "Can we leave the Healing Rooms now? Please?"

"Yeah, we're getting sick of this place," Loki added.

Thor snorted.

"Well, we couldn't have you getting sick now that you seem to be all better now, can we?" Frigga mused amusedly.

"Right! Come on, let's dismantle the pillow fort," Loki said, grabbing Thor's arm and dragging his brother over to the bed.

Thor punched the wall, furrowing his brow when it didn't fall over.

Loki just smirked at him, before waving his hand, causing the entire fortress to fall over. Right on top of Thor (which may or may not have been an accident.)

"Brother!" Thor protested, his head popping up out of the mound of pillows. He chucked one at Loki, who allowed it to hit him in the face, before falling over dramatically onto the bed.

"Boys," Frigga scolded lightly, the force of her glare reduce by the fact that she was having a hard time keeping herself from smiling.

"He started it!" Thor and Loki said at the same time, pointing at the other.

They shared a glance, before both claiming "Never mind, I started it!"

Frigga shook her head exasperatedly.

* * *

Once the pillows were all put away, and _not _in a huge pile on the floor, Loki and Thor each grabbed one of Frigga's hands, following her from the Healing Rooms.

"Mother?" Thor asked.

"Yes?" Frigga said, looking at him.

Thor bit his lip. "Why does everybody seem to blame Loki for everything?"

Loki had to keep himself from face-palming.

"What did everybody blame Loki for?" Frigga asked, suddenly concerned.

"For the bilgesnipe incident," Thor answered. "Even though it was their fault and mine, Fandral, Sif, Hogun, and Volstagg all seemed to blame Loki for it, even though he was the one who saved us."

"Not anymore, though," Loki pointed out quickly. "Thor straightened them out!"

"Not physically, I hope?" Frigga said.

"No no, he just argued with them—verbally" Loki said reassuringly. "He had very good points too; there may be hope of him becoming a diplomat yet!"

"I beg to differ. I was very close to kicking them out of the room myself when before the healer came in and did it for me," Thor protested, crossing his arms.

Loki rolled his eyes. "That's supposed to be a compliment, Thor. You have to be a good diplomat to be King."

"Oh. Okay then!"

Loki sighed, waving his fingers and causing Thor's feet to fly out from under him.

"Foul!" Thor yelled, throwing himself at Loki, as the two of them began to tussle in the castle hallways.

"Thor! Loki! Behave yourselves, will you?" Frigga said, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at them till they stopped, pushing themselves to their feet and hanging their heads apologetically.

"Sorry mother. It's just that we've been stuck inside that room not doing anything for almost a week..." Loki mumbled, shifting uncomfortably, before glancing up at her without actually tilting his head up.

"Well, you should have plenty of energy for your chores, then!" Frigga said, smiling in an almost mischievous manner.

Both boys groaned.

"Now come on, before you get to work, there's someone who's been dying to see you," Frigga said, continuing down the hall.

As they turned a corner, Loki was suddenly barreled into by something relatively cat-sized, and sent sprawling across the floor.

"Tanis!" Loki exclaimed joyfully, trying to push himself into a sitting position as the overenthusiastic dragon ran circles around his form before jumping on him again, this time trying to nip his nose playfully.

"No biting!" Loki said, severely but kindly. "I like my nose, thank you very much!"

Thor snickered at them, before he too was suddenly sent backwards as the dragon launched herself at him.

"Gah! Help me! I'm being attacked by a dragon!" Thor hollered.

"You get him, Tanis!" Loki cheered, as Thor shot him a withering glare.

Tanis eventually calmed down enough the she wasn't attacking them, but she was still running circles around their feet, threatening to trip them.

"Well, now that greetings are over with," Frigga said, "You two have work to do."

Loki and Thor groaned. Again.

* * *

**I really hope the chapter is okay and that you enjoyed it! I'm in kind of a weird mood right now, so... it was actually absurdly difficult to write a chapter that wasn't so ridiculous it was unbelievable... believe me, everybody was almost saying 'dingaling' in every-other sentence XD So yeah, I really hope it turned out okay o_o **

**An another note, I'm still working on that AU where Loki discovers his heritage (I think it's going to be pretty long...) but! If you're interested, I wrote and posted a little one-shot today called Forget Me Not, which is a scene with Loki as a toddler and Frigga... :3 **

**LadyFides: Well, they're going to be getting slightly older as time goes on :P But as to whether I'm going to make and big jumps in the time line, I don't think so... I really like this age, because I can make it fluffy ^.^ If they're older, like teenage years or something, I think that the story would get more sad :/ It's more likely that I'd end this story and post a sequel with Thor and Loki older. I've sort of been thinking about it, but I'm really not sure, and I have, like, a TON of ideas that I want to write for other "Thor" or "Avengers" stories... so basically the straight answer is probably not :/ (Although you never know... mwah hah hah! Sometimes I change my mind :P And thus the straight answer is not completely straight!) **

**Um... told you I was feeling weird... so before I make a super long A/N with me rambling about anything and/or nothing... please review? :3 Seriously, reviews are the gas in my engine! (And I know I've already used that one... oh well :P) **


	49. Chapter 49

**Thank you all myriads for all your support! ^.^ Have I told you just how amazing you all are? **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

"Not fair not fair not fair _not fair_," Thor mumbled over and over under his breath after being deposited in the Kitchens. He tried to back out the doors, but one of the cooks grabbed him and dragged him through the huge bustling room where the kitchen staff were hurrying around and preparing food over fires in the huge hearths that lined the falls, and over to a sink overflowing with dirty dishes.

Thor blanched. "I'M DOOOOOOOMED!" He yelled, scrambling to get away. "HAVE MERCY!"

"Once you finish the dishes I'll let you help me preparing part of the meal, and I'll let you help taste test," The cook said calmly, unimpressed.

Thor quited, biting his lip as he looked at all the dishes.

"How does one clean these?" He asked finally.

The cook sighed in exasperation, before beginning to show the older prince how to clean the dishes.

* * *

Loki stood, his face expressionless as one of the stable-hands explained his task, before handing him a large pitchfork and a wheelbarrow, both of which being larger than the young prince.

"Surely there's a better way for me to apply my skills to help out?" Loki inquired rather skeptically.

"This will keep you busy and out of the way for a while. Now start cleaning the stalls," the man said, before striding off down the length of the stable to do some other task.

Loki eyed Tanis, who was hanging out on the stable rafters, before picking up the pitchfork, frowning at how heavy it was. It was hard enough just for him to lift it.

He knew that using magic to complete the task would destroy the point of the punishment, and he knew that the stable-hands would be watching to make sure he didn't try anything.

But surely it would be okay if he just made the tools a bit lighter...

* * *

"OW!" Thor yelped, as he dropped an iron pot on his foot. He hopped around on one leg for a few seconds, clutching his throbbing toes, before putting his foot back down and stepping on it gingerly, glaring at the large black pot.

"PREPARE TO MEET THE WRATH OF MY SOAPY RAG, YOU IMBECILE OF A CAULDRON!" Thor roared, scrubbing the dirty pot with renewed vigor as the kitchen staff looked on with amusement. As soon as the pot was clean, Thor cried out "NEXT?!" and proceeded to attack a grease-splattered plate that had probably been used to hold a roast boar with his washcloth.

"THOU ART NO MATCH FOR THE MIGHTY THOR! BE CLEAN OR DIE, STUPID PIECE OF METAL!"

"You don't suppose he'll actually be able to kill the dishes..." One of the kitchen staff mused, not entirely certain.

* * *

"Finished," Loki said matter-of-factly, reporting back to the stable-hand, who was looking at the younger prince with narrowed eyes.

He didn't understand how Loki had managed to clean all the stalls, but he'd been watching, and he hadn't _seen _any magic.

"Alright, here," the man said, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a piece of parchment, quickly scribbling some numbers on. He glanced at Loki with a smirk before adding one last number and handing the parchment to him, along with a box full of brushes.

"The horses in those stalls need to be brushed," The man ordered.

Loki glanced down at the parchment and then stared at the man for a second, his head tilted to the side, before he nodded once and walked off, his lips quirking as he turned away.

So the stable-hand didn't think he could handle the Allfather's horse, huh?

* * *

"I HAVE CONQUERED THE MOUNTAIN OF DIRTY DISHES!" Thor declared proudly, throwing down the washcloth and placing his hands on his hips, his chin raised.

The cook couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright Prince," She said, beckoning the boy over. "Tell me, how does this soup taste?"

Thor took the offered ladle and sipped, saying thoughtfully "It could use some salt, I think."

"Well, go get it," The cook said, nodding at the door to the large pantry.

Thor headed off to the pantry, returning several minutes later with a jar of white crystals.

"That's sugar," The cook said patiently.

"It is?" Thor said, frowning at the jar, before heading back to the storage room.

_CRASH. _

The cook winced, but a few seconds later Thor returned with the salt jar, smiling triumphantly.

Only he was completely covered in flour.

Sighing, the cook took the salt and stirred some into the soup.

"How is it now?" She asked, letting Thor taste it again.

Thor nodded in approval.

"You know," Thor said, grinning. "This punishment: I like it!"

* * *

Loki sat on the edge of the stall, running a brush along the back of Odin's blue roan, who whinnied contentedly.

"Here's for being such a good boy," Loki said, seeming to pull an apple out of nowhere and holding it out in his palm for the horse, who took the apple in his teeth and ate it, nuzzling Loki's hand for more.

Loki grinned. "Once I've finished brushing you. Now, if you would kindly turn around so I could brush your other side?"

The huge horses' legs alone were taller than Loki was, so in order to reach their backs to brush them he had to perch on the windows in the stalls.

At least the horses were well-trained though, and responded to apples and soft words.

They seemed to like it when you were polite too.

Obliging to Loki's request, the blue roan walked around the stall and then coming by the fence that Loki was sitting on, now facing the other direction.

Once Loki had finished brushing him, the roan nudged his leg expectantly, and Loki, laughing, gave him another apple.

"May I brush your mane?" Loki asked.

When the horse didn't make any signs of objection, Loki slid onto the steed's back, taking a different kind of brush and beginning to run it through the dark gray mane, careful not to pull too hard, and gently worked out the tangles.

"H-how are you...!"

Loki glanced up to see the stable-hand watching him, shocked, and Loki grinned brightly with a hint of smugness glittering in his eyes, before turning back to untangling the long hair.

Odin's horse was infamous for biting and kicking, and being plain hard to control. Only the Allfather himself and a few certain stable-hands (and apparently Loki) were able to deal with the stallion.

"How are you doing that?!" The man finally gasped out.

"Not all of us are as incompetent as you," Loki shrugged, smirking.

* * *

**There's the punishments you've been looking forward to! 'Cause I _know_ you have ;P**

******And a special shout out to all my lovely guest reviewers! Your comments mean the world to me, truly *-* I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story so much! O_O AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AGAIN! **

**As a general note to everyone, I update this story twice a week, every Saturday and Tuesday night :3 (At least in my time zone anyway...) **

**Silver-tao111: Aww ^.^ Eheheheh, I think I'm a little young to marry... ask again in a few years ;) **

**Please review and let me know what you think! If you couldn't tell, reviews make me absolutely ecstatic :3**


	50. Chapter 50

**We're at 50 chapters! WOOT! :D**** Thank you all so much for your continued support! You are all seriously what keeps me going *-*  
**

**Enjoy! ^.^ **

* * *

The notable thing about the Asgardian stables is that they're strong.

Incredibly strong.

They're built from the finest, sturdiest lumber in the Nine Realms, and the stalls and their locks are designed especially to keep the powerful war horses contained.

So the only plausible explanation for Odin's horse lunging at the stall door and actually _breaking out_ when the stable-hand said "Why you little—" and stepped forward angrily towards him (and the small boy on his back,) is that the stall had been neglected to be locked by whoever had fed the horses earlier that morning.

And thus _not_, in fact, Loki's fault.

As it was the young prince hardly had time to secure his hands in the horse's mane, as the steed tensed and _threw itself _at the unlocked doors, which opened with an splintering crash, and Loki was almost as surprised as the stable-hand, who was suddenly finding himself being stared down by a furious stallion. Snorting furiously and rolling back its eyes as it tossed its head, the horse was baring its teeth in an almost predatory fashion, and it seemed to the stable-hand that flames were about to start leaping from the steed's unnerving eyes. (One was the deep, dark brown like that of most horses, but the other was a spectral, steely-sky blue. People often joked that the uneven stare rivaled that of its one-eyed rider.)

So of course, faced with such a threatening beast, the stable-hand abandoned all Asgardian code of behavior; those unspoken laws which stated that 'thou wilt always stand thy ground and face all thy enemies with unfailing bravery no matter the gravity of the situation.'

He turned and ran.

* * *

Odin had been striding purposefully through the halls on his way _somewhere, _only his destination was immediately forgotten when he glanced out the castle windows.

His eye nearly popped out of his head at the sight before him.

There was a man, probably a stable-hand, guessing by his garb, and he was running as fast as he could across the training field.

Right on his heels was _Odin's own horse, _who was being ridden bareback and without reins by _Odin's own youngest son. _

This could not be tolerated.

* * *

Loki was bent forward over the horse's neck, his fingers tangled in the dark gray mane, which along with his own black locks was whipping around his face in the wind.

He still held the hairbrush in one hand.

Although he should have been terrified by the fact that he was riding a nearly uncontrollable steed, which was chasing and trying to bite a stable-hand, and he was riding bareback and without reins, Loki was more excited than anything.

For one, this was certainly not allowed. And forbidden things are almost always the most fun.

Two, watching the man, who was clearly scared out of his wits, try to run from the fastest horse that the Nine Realms could boast, was proving rather comical.

But mostly it was the freedom, the potential for blurring speeds that thrummed through the horse with every thundering hoof-beat that mercilessly punished the ground for daring to try to keep such an steed Asgardbound*.

* * *

After having clambered over the fence on the opposite side of the training field (which the horse had leapt easily,) in an act of desperation, the stable-hand jumped into the garden pond.

The horse skittered along the edge, tossing its head and neighing in what very well could have been the equine equivalent of laughter.

At exactly that moment, the Allfather strode into the garden, his voice booming.

"WHAT IN ASGARD IS GOING ON?!"

* * *

***A variation on the word 'earthbound,' since it's Asgard, not earth. **

**Eheheheh, I played around with a bit of a different tense in this chapter ^.^ **

**I know the chapter is rather short, and I'm sorry :/ I was exhausted and ended up taking a nap and almost missed writing and posting... and it's late and I have to get up really early tomorrow... **

**BrowniePoints: Thank you so much for all your reviews, love! :D Eheheh no, Loki can't read Thor's mind, he just knows him that well :3 And nope, no plot! :P It really is just a slice of their life... if it had a plot the story would have to have a beginning, a middle, and *gasp* an END O.O Eheheh, really I just write this as like, stress relief... and hopefully so people can enjoy little bits of pointless Loki and Thor Feelz twice a week ^.^ **

**On a pertaining note however, you all know how I told you I'd write that AU one-shot where Loki discovers his frost giant heritage? Well, I lied... it's not going to be a one-shot ;P It's already gotten really long, and I know I'm not anywhere near finished... and it has a darker theme, Thor and Loki are teenagers in it, AND it has a plot XD But I'm afraid it's going to take a while for me to put up, because I'm not going to post it until I've finished writing it, because I keep changing my mind about what I want to happen, and I keep going back and changing stuff... O.o But I will definitely be posting it eventually! ;) **

**Please review? You know I'll love you for it... :3 **


	51. Chapter 51

**Thank you so much to everyone who has alerted, faved, and reviewed! And everyone who is reading this :3 I cannot stress how much all your support means to me! **

**NOTE: Okay, so I know I told some people otherwise, but I decided that Odin's horse IS Sleipnir. And he is NOT Loki's son. This is my story, so I'm taking liberties with that, and it's supposed to be movieverse and they showed Sleipnir once but they never specified whether it was Loki's son or not, so for my purposes Sleipnir's existence has absolutely nothing to do with Loki. Just to make that clear. And I'd been keeping things about Odin's horse general because I couldn't really make up my mind, and I should probably go back and change some things, but I'm too lazy... I'm really sorry for all the loopholes :/ **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter though!**

* * *

The stable-hand resurfaced, beginning to stutter incomprehensibly as the Allfather glared at him.

The was a lily pad balanced on the man's head.

"Father!" Loki cried, his voice trembling slightly. He was leaning against the horse's neck, fingers tangled tightly in the long mane, his expression wide-eyed and afraid.

Odin strode over, pacify his horse as it moved sideways in agitation, its eight legs dancing across the ground.

"Calm down, Sleipnir," Odin commanded softly, putting a hand on the horse's flank.

Sleipnir stilled, though he still seemed to be glaring at the stable-hand, who was pulling himself, dripping, from the pond, the lily pad still on his head.

"Oh father," Loki said desperately, reaching his arms out to Odin, who pulled him off the back of the horse. Loki buried his head into his father's shoulder, shaking.

"Loki, why were you riding my horse and chasing the stable-hand?!" Odin demanded, his face pulled in something between confusion, suspicion, and concern.

Loki pulled back and looked at him, green eyes wet, lip trembling.

"I-I was w-working in the stables, and I finished cleaning the stalls, s-so I reported to the stable-hand for another task, and he gave me a list of the numbers of the stalls that the horses needed to be brushed," Loki pulled the scrap of parchment out of his pocket for Odin to see.

The first tears began to manifest, glistening like diamonds in the corners of his emerald eyes.

"And I'd gotten to Sleipnir, and was sitting on his back so I could comb out his mane, when the stable-hand came over, angering Sleipnir, he somehow b-broke out of his stall and started chasing the stable-hand, a-and there was n-nothing I could do, and Sleipnir was r-running so fast..." Loki trailed off, the tears that had pooled in his eyes overflowing and slipping down his face. He sniffed and lifted a hand to try and wipe the tear away.

"Is this true?!" Odin said furiously, turning to the stable-hand. "You told my son to brush Sleipnir, who is incredibly_ dangerous, _and then you provoked my horse into breaking out and chasing you?!"

The man under question averted his eyes, fidgeting guiltily.

Figurative flames leaped from Odin's eye. His face was stony.

"You are hereby relieved of your duties as stable-hand. You shall forthwith find no employment at my castle. Now begone from the castle grounds before I exacerbate your sentence," the King decreed. "And take that lily pad off your head. You look contemptible."

Flustered, the man reached up and took off the lily pad, staring at it with embarrassment and confusion (he hadn't realized it was there) before hurrying off as fast as his quaking legs could carry him.

The Allfather looked down at Loki, who was still in his arms, his gaze mollifying. "You are unharmed?"

Loki nodded. His tears had ceased, though his cheeks were still streaked with water.

"I think you're done with working in the stables today," Odin said, setting his son down.

"But father," Loki protested, a small smile flickering across his lips, "I haven't finished brushing Sleipnir's mane and tail."

* * *

_Later..._

The Asgardians that worked in the stables couldn't help stopping each time they passed by Sleipnir's stall, looking at the horse in puzzled wonder.

Sleipnir's coat was practically gleaming; the gloaming gray, flecked and lashed with a darker, storm cloud hue, that accumulated along Sleipnir's face and his eight legs.

But what was truly noticeable was the fact that his night-dark mane and tail had been woven into many fine braids.

The Asgardians shook their heads, almost unbelieving. How anyone had actually braided _Sleipnir's _hair was beyond them...

* * *

Loki was in the library, tucked into a corner between the wall and two bookshelves, where he was blocked from view from almost every angle.

Only Thor knew where the spot was.

Tanis was wrapped around Loki shoulders, and a large tome lay open in his lap.

He smelled of horse. Which wasn't exactly that surprising since he'd been working in the stables... Tanis smelled of horse too.

Whenever he heard footsteps he would glance up for a second, listening, before determining that it wasn't Thor, and going back to reading.

* * *

**Okay that last bit was kind of pointless, but whatever XD And it's kind of short again... sorry...  
**

**Next chapter: we get to see what happened to Thor ;) **

**Please review and let me know what you think! **


	52. Chapter 52

**I LOVE YOU ALL, YOU AMAZING PEOPLE YOU! *-* Thank you all SO MUCH for all your support! **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

"Would you go get the sugar, Thor?" The cook requested.

Thor pursed his lips, crossing his arms. "But I just got you the sugar, and then you told me to put it back!" He huffed.

"That's because I was making soup," The cook explained patiently. "But now that that's done, I'm going to start making krumkake."

"KRUMKAKE!?" Thor exclaimed excitedly. "I love krumkake!"

The cook shook her head, laughing slightly. "Who doesn't? Now go get me that sugar, or else I can't make the dessert."

Thor ran off to the store room.

The cook got a large bowl ready while she waited for the prince to return.

She frowned when after a few minutes, he still hadn't shown up with the sugar.

"What could be taking him so long?" She wondered aloud.

* * *

Thor stared around the storage room. There was the small jar of sugar which he'd brought earlier, but surely it was not nearly enough for the amount of krumkake that needed to be made...

His blue eyes locked on a large barrel, which was almost as tall as he was, the diameter over thrice his width, labeled 'SUGAR.' He grinned.

Walking over to it, he tried to pick it up, only apparently it was full to the brim; he lifted it slowly and took a few toddler-sized steps, before it slipped from his arms and landed on his foot.

"THAT HURT!" Thor yelped, holding his foot and jumping around on one leg. "FOUL PLAY! THAT FOOT'S ALREADY BEEN BRUISED, YOU SUGARY FIEND!"

Thor kicked the barrel.

"OW!" He yelled, his bruised foot sustaining more damage than the barrel.

Thor glared at the sugar barrel for several moments.

Deciding that the best way to get the sugar to the cook would be to get the container onto its side so he could roll it out, he tried to push it over.

Only it wouldn't budge from its upright position.

Thor growled in frustration, putting his shoulder against the barrel and pushing with all his might, managing to make it tilt, its bottom lifting slightly from the ground. He took another step as he continued leaning against the container, only to have it slip, its bottom once again falling to the floor.

Right on top of Thor's foot.

"NOT AGAIN!" He wailed.

As his foot continued to throb, Thor regarded the barrel, sizing it up like a warrior would an enemy.

Finally he approached it, bending his knees and moving his arms behind him, then throwing his arms up and jumping as high as he could, kicking his legs out straight in front of him as he did so, so that they slammed into the top of the container with all the power of the young god.

The force knocked the barrel over onto its side, though it also sent Thor back-planting against the floor.

He pushed himself into a sitting position, placing a hand on his knee and getting to his feet, grinning triumphantly at the conquered sugar barrel.

Vaulting over the container to the other side, Thor began rolling it out into the kitchen.

* * *

The cook stared.

Thor stood in front of her, smiling proudly, one of the huge wooden cylinders of sugar, that was actually _bigger than he was_, in front of him. He was covered from head to toe in flour, as well as smelling strongly pepper and bay leaf from the sweet sauce that a kitchen staff spilled on him when they accidentally knocked into him and the barrel.

"Is there anything else you need me to fetch?" He asked brightly.

"Yeah, I need some butter—" The cook started before pausing, apparently thinking better of it. "You know what, I'll go get the other ingredients, and you work on getting the sugar upright."

She hurried off, leaving Thor to stare at the container and figure out _how in Asgard_ he was going to accomplish that.

* * *

**Eheheheh... }:)  
**

**Guest: Fer realsies ;D I am like, almost incapable of writing one-shots... I mean, the AU story's already at 9 pages, and it's still basically the beginning O.o I probably won't be able to get the story out till the summer though... which isn't actually all that far away :) Anyway, thank you so much love! ^.^ I'm so pleased you're enjoying my work! **

**On a completely different note, have you guys seen the Thor 2 trailer yet?! It just came out on youtube today and it is AMAZING! O_O (I had a total fangirl attack after seeing it XD) **

**But before (or after) you go rushing off to watch it... mind leaving a review for me? :3 I'd love to hear what you think of the chapter! **


	53. Chapter 53

**Thank you so much to everyone who has faved, alerted and reviewed! :D I simply can't express how much your support means to me! **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter... :3  
**

* * *

Thor tried to pick up the barrel, managing to get his arms around it and grab the top and bottom, he tried to lift it enough to tip it over, only his grasp slipped, and the sugar fell on top of Thor's foot AGAIN.

"OW!" Thor yelled furiously, now more from anger than from the pain of his repeatedly bruised foot. "THAT'S IT, YOU CURSED BARREL OF SUGAR! THERE SHALL BE NO MERCY! PREPARE TO MEET THE POWER OF THE MIGHTY THOR!"

And before the kitchen staff could stop him, he grabbed a large metal spoon and slammed it down onto the barrel with all his strength.

Fortunately, the barrels were extremely strong—just about everything in Asgard had to be.

Unfortunately however, Thor hit the barrel on the edge of its lid, with enough force to splinter the wood slightly, and then the weakened lid gave way from the sugar pressing against it, and sugar spilled out _everywhere_.

"...Oops?" Thor tried.

* * *

"BROTHER!" Thor shouted, running through the hallways of Asgard, his footprints powdered white on the gold tile behind him. Each step he took made a crunching sound from the sugar in his boots.

It was possible to follow the trail he'd left behind through half the castle.

Thor frowned, crossing his arms. He'd already checked the every nook and cranny in the stables, and Loki wasn't there. He'd already checked Loki's room and all of the spots that Loki liked to hide there.

It must be the Library then.

* * *

"LOKI! ARE YOU IN HERE?!" Thor bellowed upon entering the library. He glanced around, seeing that his brother wasn't sitting at nor under nor on the table, nor was he up high on the bookshelves (thankfully,) nor was he in any of the isles.

Well, there wasn't any other place Loki would go, so he had to be here. Obviously he just didn't want to be found.

So of course Thor found him tucked between the wall and a couple bookshelves, in his favorite library hiding spot.

* * *

"Found you!" Thor declared, nudging his little brother with his foot.

"You do know that you're supposed to talk quietly when in the Library, don't you?" Loki said pointedly, not looking up from his book.

"Stupid rules," Thor shrugged, grinning. "Are you out early because you were banished from your banishment as well?"

"That's one way to put it," Loki answered as he continued reading.

He crinkled his finely-carved nose as he noticed the smell of pepper and bay leaf.

Glancing up at Thor, he widened his eyes slightly, inquiring with barely contained laughter "Thor, what happened to you?"

The older boy shuffled awkwardly, causing flour to billow of his tunic, and brushed his sauce-covered hair out of his eyes. "I might have had a run in with a bag of flour. And a clumsy kitchen staff who was carrying a vat of sweet sauce. And a barrel of sugar," He admitted.

"Right," Loki said, shutting the tome he'd been reading and slipping out of the corner, standing up.

He ran a finger along the top of Tanis's head, the dragon still curled around his shoulders, and he asked "Would you care to help be give Tanis a bath, Thor? She smells like horse."

Loki smiled hopefully at his brother.

Thor agreed, not catching the impish glint in Loki's eyes.

* * *

**Yeah... honestly didn't know this was going to happen... the characters like surprising me O.O They really seem to prefer it that way too. **

**I'm sorry the chapter's so short! I had trouble writing today... I first wrote like 777 words, and then I realized that I absolutely hated what I wrote, so I scrapped the whole thing and started over. And that was at 12:30am. **

**Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think? ^.^ **


	54. Chapter 54

**Thank you myriads for all your support, loves! Every single fave and alert and review leaves me grinning like a maniac :D **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter ^.^**

* * *

Loki walked straight past the door to his chambers, heading instead to his brother's.

"Wait, why are you using my bathing room?!" Thor demanded, dashing past Loki to block the door to his chambers, his arms crossed as he glared suspiciously.

"Because I have the wrong scent of soap," Loki replied, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious. He brushed past Thor into the room.

Stepping lightly over the weapons and clothes strewn across the golden floor, Loki made his way over the bathing room on the left, nudging open the ajar door with his foot and slipping inside.

Thor came in to find the torches already lit and casting the room in bright, warm light, and Loki standing in the tub with his boots off and black pants rolled up past the knees as he started the water.

The dragon was perched on the faucet, swishing her green tail back and forth while she eyed the stream of water as it poured down and lapped at Loki's ankles.

"So, how do we go about bathing Tanis?" Thor asked tentatively.

"Here, take this," Loki said, hopping out of the tub and handing Thor the bar of clove-scented soap. "Run that under the water and start soaping Tanis, will you?"

"But that means I'll have to get wet!" Thor protested, looking at the bath with disfavor.

"What are you, a cat?" Loki teased, as he jumped onto the counter next to the sink. "I don't recall it being warrior-like to fear water."

"I'm not afraid," Thor huffed. "I just don't like baths!"

Loki stood up, pulling on the mirror as it swung forward from the wall, revealing the cluttered shelves behind. "Well, Tanis is the one getting a bath, not you. Besides, the longer you wait the higher the water gets," he pointed out, whilst he frowned at the scrub brush, which was just out of his reach on the highest shelf.

Grumbling, Thor took the soap and, kicking off his shoes, stepped into the bath, which was now almost to his knees.

Thor dunked the soap under the running water, then picked up Tanis, who was willing enough.

At least until he started coating her with the soap.

Displeased, Tanis struggled out of Thor's grip, leaping onto the rim of the bathtub.

"Tanis!" Thor exclaimed, grabbing at the dragon as she got away.

He managed to get hold of her tail, but as he took a slogging step forward through the water, the slightly too-long pant legs that he'd neglected to roll up caused him to trip, so both he and Tanis ended up falling completely into the water.

Loki, who was standing on his tiptoes to reach the top shelf, glanced down at them to see what the splash and commotion was about, as he did so his hand fumbling for the brush and accidentally knocking over a bottle of shampoo.

Thor spluttered, lifting his head out of the water, only for the bottle of shampoo to empty its rose-scented contents onto his head.

"LOKI!" Thor shrieked indignantly as he pushed himself to his feet, dripping water and floral pink shampoo.

"Oops," Loki giggled, taking the brush that he'd finally gotten down and tossing it to Thor. "Looks like you're taking a bath now too!"

Before Thor could grab Loki's ankle and drag him in as well, Loki dashed out of the bathroom, running straight into someone.

"Oh, hello mother!"

* * *

"What's going on?" Frigga asked, as Loki hid behind her skirts and peeked out warily at the bathing room.

"Thor and Tanis are taking a bath," Loki answered.

Frigga raised her eyebrows, impressed. "You got Thor to take a bath?"

"No," Loki said, following his mother as she walked into the bathroom. "We were giving Tanis a bath and he fell in."

Frigga tsked as she saw Thor standing in the bathroom fully clothed and soaking wet, unamused.

He smelled of a strange combination of bay leaf, pepper, clove, and rose.

Once again perching on the faucet, which was still on, Tanis trilled shrilly.

"Right," Frigga said, in her most motherly tone. "Thor, let's get you undressed and back into that tub. And Loki, you need to go to your chambers and take a bath as well."

"Yes mother," Loki said brightly, heading out of the room.

Thor just groaned.

* * *

**Eheheheheh XD**

**Please review and let me know what you think! And if you ever see any mistakes or typos in any of the chapters, do not hesitate to point them out to me so I can fix them :)**


	55. Chapter 55

**Thank you all so much for all your lovely support! Seriously. This is over the fiftieth time I've said it, and I still don't feel like I've said it enough *-* I love you all! **

**Oh, and gamingcharacter has drawn an awesome picture of the bilgesnipe from chapter 43 :) Check it out! **

**(insert an _h _a _t _a _t _and a _p)_ : / / gamingcharacter . deviantart . (insert a _c _an _o _and an _m_) /art/Bilgesnipe-369741962?q=gallery%3Agamingcharacter&qo=0**

* * *

Once they were all clean, Thor having gotten rid of all traces of flour, sugar, pepper and bay leaf, Tanis's scales so clean they refracted the flickering torchlight on every green scale edge, and Loki smelling of mint instead of horse, Frigga got down to business.

"Thor, at the last feast I recall that your formal attire was looking a little small on you," Frigga said, as Thor walked out of the bathing room wrapped in a blue towel. She handed him the folded clothes. "Would you try it one for me? Loki, try yours on as well. I could swear you've been looking taller lately."

Loki looked up from where he was sitting on Thor's bed, already dressed in his usual outfit of a plain green tunic and black pants, saying "Really? Because I still feel short."

"Only because your brother is growing too. Don't worry though, you'll catch up to him someday," Frigga said reassuringly.

Loki pursed his lips doubtfully, but he got up and went back to his room to change.

* * *

When they both came back dressed in their formal attired, Frigga shook her head exasperatedly.

The boys tugged uncomfortably at their outfits, which were obviously too small, their sleeves easily exposing their wrists, and when Loki reached up to brush his wet locks out of his face, they pulled back to reveal almost half of his forearm.

The tunics were practically shirts on them, and their pants no longer reached their ankles.

Thor also had a huge hole torn in the fabric of his right knee.

"My my, has it really been that long since our last formal occasion?" Frigga asked rhetorically, before continuing, "You can change out of those clothes now. We're going to get you fitted for new outfits."

"What's the upcoming occasion?" Loki questioned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Your father is having a council, and there will be a welcome feast for the ambassadors from the other realms," Frigga answered, her casual tone not completely covering up a note of sternness. "It is necessary that you two look your best."

"But they're so _boring,"_ Thor groaned.

"Maybe," Loki suggested, brightening, "We could start a food fight, and then Mother will have to send us to our rooms, and we could escape!"

"_Loki,"_ Frigga said warningly.

Loki grinned at her, his expression all bright-eyed innocence. "You didn't hear anything."

Frigga kept up her glare for a moment longer, before she chuckled, leaning over and kissing Loki on the forehead.

"I better not see anything either," She cautioned.

"Don't worry, you won't!" Loki said reassuringly, winking at his brother.

"Well, let's go get you two fitted then," Frigga smiled as she took her sons' hands and led them out of the room.

* * *

**I'm so sorry the chapter is so short! :/ I have excuses, but I won't bother you with them. **

**Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter ^.^ **

**A review would totally make my day! (Even if you're just telling me that the chapters have been too short and I need to write more... ;P)**


	56. Chapter 56

**Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has alerted, favorited, and reviewed! I can't tell you just how ecstatic your support makes me *-* And a special shout to all my lovely guest reviewers! **

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter ^.^ This one's nice and long, so hopefully it makes up a bit for previous short ones ;) **

* * *

"Hold still, Thor," Frigga commanded gently, as the older boy squirmed and bounced on his heels. "If you keep moving I'm going to accidentally poke you with a pin."

Thor stopped bouncing, though he kept craning his head around and turning his body to try to see what she was doing, as she walked around him, sticking pins in the sturdy, stormy gray fabric she'd draped over his shoulders. She'd already taken both boys measurements, but she was now marking where she needed to sew, cut, or take in the fabric.

Loki was a few feet away, one of the seamstresses did the same to him, except with a mossy green fabric.

"I do not understand the point of this," Thor complained. A strand of blond hair slipped out from behind his ear and drifted into his face, tickling his nose. He lifted an arm to brush it out of his face.

"Ow!" Thor yelped, flinching, as Frigga accidentally stabbed him with a pin.

She sighed. "I did tell you not to move, didn't I?"

"I have a dare for you, Brother," Loki said with a taunting smirk evident in his voice. However since he was currently being turned around by the seamstress, Thor couldn't see it.

"Name it," Thor said boldly, lifting his chin in expectation.

"I dare you to hold as still as you possibly can," Loki replied, the seamstress turning him again so he was now facing Thor, while she stood back to see where she was going to need to place more pins.

Thor furrowed his brow. "I fail to see how—"

"Think of it as a competition," Loki interrupted, his smile growing. "And you and I are competing to see who can remain the stillest for the longest period of time, or for the duration of this clothes-fitting session. And I bet you a krumkake that I'm going to win."

"No you won't," Thor said vehemently, jaw setting in determination.

"Do you accept the challenge, then?" Loki asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"I accept!" Thor proclaimed.

"Here are the rules: No talking except when Mother asks a question, you can smile but you can't laugh, and you can be moved by Mother, but you have to hold that pose until she moves you again, like a malleable statue. Got it?" Loki stated.

Frigga smiled to herself as she took a pin out from where she'd been holding it between her rosy lips.

"Yes!" Thor answered.

"Then on your mark, get set," Loki paused a beat for emphasis. "_Go." _

Both boys froze.

* * *

Even with his arms stretched straight out from his sides at shoulder height, Loki was completely still. The blinking of his green eyes was the only sign he was even alive, since the faint rising and falling movements of his chest were unnoticeable beneath the drapes of green fabric.

Thor's arms however, in the same position, were quivering; at first imperceptibly, but as he had to hold the position for several minutes the trembling exacerbated.

"How are you doing that?!" Thor asked exasperatedly, finally giving up and letting his arms flop to his sides, poking himself on some pins.

"Ow!"

"You have to use your back muscles too, not just your arm muscles," Loki explained, even his lips barely moving as he talked.

Thor glared at him. "I guess I owe you a krumkake, don't I?"

"Yes. And I did tell you I was going to win," Loki said, a small smile stretching his lips. It looked slightly strained.

"Just a few more stitches, and then you'll be done," Frigga said, as she pulled the needle through the fabric near Thor's waist.

Thor grumbled inaudibly.

As it turned out, the seamstress finished first by a few seconds. "There, you're done," She said kindly, as she lifted the fabric off him, careful not to scratch him with any of the pins.

Loki nodded in thanks, then sent a questioning glance Frigga's way.

"Yes, you can go," Frigga smiled, noticing that Loki now appeared to be vibrating, fingers twitching and eyes flicking around.

He darted from the room.

"Loki!" Thor cried desperately, trying to follow him.

"Wait," Frigga said, removing the fabric from around him.

As soon as he was free he dashed out the room after his brother.

"BROTHER!" Thor called, glancing down the hallway. He caught a streak of green disappearing around a corner and gave chase.

* * *

Loki sprinted down the golden corridors, changing directions and turning corners on whim, no destination in mind.

Energy coursed through his veins, and his muscles seemed to need to rebel after holding still for so long, propelling him down and up flights of stairs, the bluish evening light that streamed through the windows and the torch-lit shadows striping across him.

"LOKI!" Thor called, several paces behind, "WHERE ARE YOU GOING? THAT'S A DEAD END!"

"Since when have we ever let dead ends stop us?" Loki called back, not slowing down.

Thor increased his speed so that he was now running just behind Loki.

Loki gave him a grin, before jumping onto the window sill at the end of the hall, unlatching the glass one smooth movement and hopping out the window.

Thor was right behind him.

* * *

"Beautiful evening, isn't it?" Loki asked, from his position sitting on the gargoyle's head, legs dangling off over the gardens, which were a couple castle levels below them.

"Oh, spare me from small talk," Thor groaned. He was leaned back against one of the gargoyle's extended golden wings, right leg crossed over his left, arms behind his head as he gazed up at the dimming sky, stars crowding the expanse with bursts of red, orange, white and blue, two moons beginning their rise over the toothy mountains that jaggedly edged the southern horizon.

Loki let his eyes travel through the golden city, following the glimmering rainbow bridge all the way to where the bifrost dome extended out into space.

Smiling, Loki waved enthusiastically. "Hello!"

"Who are you waving at?" Thor asked bewilderedly, raising his head up slightly.

"Heimdall," Loki answered cheerfully.

* * *

_At the bifrost..._

Turning his gaze towards Asgard, Heimdall sighed as he saw the two princes perched on a gargoyle on the castle, chuckling when Loki called a greeting.

He beckoned one of his servants, scrawling on a piece of parchment, which he then handed to the man.

"Take this to the Allfather."

* * *

_At the castle..._

Odin looked up as one of Heimdall's servants entered the throne room with a message, handing the scroll of parchment to him, then taking his leave.

The King opened the missive, reading the contents.

_Allfather,_

_I believe it is your sons' bedtime. And unless you plan on letting them sleep outside on the roof, I would suggest retrieving them from the gargoyle above the gardens. _

Odin looked at the ceiling exasperatedly.

* * *

When the Allfather found his sons, Thor was doing a handstand on the gargoyle's back, and Loki was hanging upside-down from the gargoyle's front legs by his knees.

After he'd properly scolded them and dropped them off at their rooms, Thor asked "Why was he so upset about that?"

"I don't know," Loki said, shrugging. "I mean, it's not like we were in real danger of falling or anything. What, did he expect us to just _let go_, or something?"

"And even if you did fall, I would have caught you," Thor declared, taking his little brother under his arm protectively and ruffling Loki's night-black hair.

Loki grinned. "I know you would."

* * *

Later that night, Thor awoke to Loki crawling into his bed.

"Nightmare?"

Loki nodded against Thor's chest.

"What happened?"

"My hand..."

"What about your hand?"

"...It slipped."

* * *

**Sorry, I just had to do that... :3 **

**And okay, admittedly, the chapter was fairly pointless... but at least it was long! :P**

**Please review and let me know what you think! ^.^**


	57. Chapter 57

**Thank you all so very much for all your support! To everyone who is reading this, and especially those of you who have faved and alerted, and even more especially to those of you who have reviewed; I can't tell you how much your comments mean to me! *-***

**Regarding the Feels from the last chapter: I REGRET NOTHING. **

**But for all of you who died after reading the last chapter, I hope the fluffiness of this one revives you! ^.^**

* * *

The early morning light creeped through the windows, pawing stealthily across the red bed covers and caressing the boys' faces, gently chasing the shadows as it illuminated the edges of their hair into halos of light and darkness.

As the warm touch of sunbeams stroked his cheek and kissed his eyelids, Loki slowly drew open his eyes, blinking once, twice, several shades of green fighting for control of his irises as his pupils retreated.

He took in a breath that filled his lungs, the covers rising visibly, before he let it out as slowly as a summer breeze.

His breathing went back to being almost unnoticeable.

"How long have you been awake, Thor?" Loki asked, prodding his brother in the spine.

Thor groaned in indignation, rolling over to face his little brother, the sunlight falling onto his face with a fervor that made the older boy clench his eyes shut. He cracked them open, exposing slivers of blue from behind long blond eyelashes.

"Not all that long," He mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

Loki nodded, before rolling onto his stomach, straightening his legs and stretching his arms under the pillow, muscles trembling as he tensed them. He relaxed again, letting his face crash softly into the pillow.

Thor chuckled, reaching over and tazering Loki's sides.

Loki's body immediately curled into a ball. "Thor!" He yelped, uncurling and throwing himself at his brother, knocking them both out of bed.

The covers came avalanching on top of them.

As it so happened, Frigga chose that exact moment to enter the room.

Seeing the two heads pop out of the pile of covers, she laughed in affection, though her smile was slightly sad.

How many times she found the both of them in Thor's bed. That Thor let his little brother sleep with him when Loki had nightmares warmed her heart, but that Loki so often _had _nightmares... she just wanted to hug and kiss them all over.

So that's what she did.

"Mother!" They protested in unison, as she swooped down and gathered them both into her arms, placing kisses all over their foreheads and cheeks and noses.

They wiped the kisses off with the sleeves of their lavender nightshirts, giggling and trying to squirm away.

"Help us!" Thor cried, as he tried to pry her arm from around his waist, "We're being attacked by an affectionate Frigga-beast!"

Tanis nudged open the door with her snout, bounding over and leaping up onto the dresser, where she watched their plight with an amused clicking of her forked tongue.

"Tanis, you are our only hope!" Thor said with giggled desperation.

Tanis showed her teeth in what was probably the dragon equivalent of a grin.

* * *

"Because of the kitchen incident the other day, you're both going to be working in the stables today," Frigga informed them, after she'd finally let them go and they'd gotten dressed, made the bed and brushed their hair (Thor's was extremely tangled from not having been brushed in a while.)

Thor grinned triumphantly at the thought that he wouldn't have to deal with any more sugar barrels, before his face fell.

"Wait, that means I'm going to have to take another bath today, doesn't it?"

Frigga smiled, and Thor groaned.

"But," She continued, turning her gaze to Loki. "Make sure that if one of the stable-hands are giving you trouble, you come straight to me before anything happens again, okay?"

"Yes Mother," Loki said easily, voice smoothed to a nonchalant yet obedient tone that hopefully would reassure Frigga while simultaneously cause Thor to not make a big deal about Frigga's words.

No such luck.

Thor narrowed his eyes slightly, asking "What happened to Loki yesterday? Did a stable-hand hurt him? I'll teach him not to mess with my little brother!"

"Don't worry, Father took care of it," Loki said quickly, grinning.

"What happened?" Thor demanded again.

"I was brushing Sleipnir, and the stable-hand angered him, so Sleipnir broke out of his tall while I was sitting on his back and chased the stable-hand into the pond," Loki answered, "And then Father dismissed him from duty. The man wasn't especially pleasant."

"Good thing I'm coming with you, then!" Thor proclaimed, pulling Loki to his side protectively.

Loki rolled his eyes.

* * *

**Eheheheh :3**

**There will be that feast coming up, but you have to suffer through another random day first :P And a few chapters back some people expressed interest in Thor's reaction to what happened to Loki, so there you go :) **

**Reviews are love!**


	58. Chapter 58

**Thank you ever so very much for all your support! I love you all ^.^**

**I'm not all that happy with this chapter, but... I hope you enjoy :) **

* * *

"Hah! Done!" Thor declared after they'd cleaned all the stalls out, letting go of the wheelbarrow, brushing his hands together and then wiping them on his pants. "And now I challenged you to a duel! Choose your weapon, brother!"

Loki raised an eyebrow, still holding the pitchfork.

"A barn tool?" Thor asked, feigning shock and hurt (which wasn't very convincing since he had a huge boyish grin on his face.) "You think even less of my skill than I realized!"

Loki snickered. "No, not a barn tool..."

He leaned the pitchfork against the wall of the tack room, then reached over and pulled a piece of hay out of one of the bales, which he waved in the air about Thor's face, saying "Something far more dangerous."

With that he proceeded to tickle Thor's neck with the piece of hay.

"Foul play!" Thor shrieked, turning to run, only to crash into a stable-hand. He stumbled back, glanced at the man he'd bonked into, then fell over dramatically.

Loki prodded Thor in the ribs with his boot, and the older boy clambered to his feet.

"Sorry," He said unapologetically.

The stable-hand (a different one from the man the Allfather had fired the previous day)waved a hand dismissively: _it's fine. _

"Have you finished cleaning out the stalls?" The man asked almost disbelievingly.

Both boys nodded.

"And making sure all the horses have food and water?"

They nodded again.

"You're fast," the stable-hand acknowledged, impressed.

Thor stood up straighter, saying "My brother and I make a great team!" which produced a chuckle from the man.

"Is there anything else that needs to be done?" Loki questioned, eyes widening in a hopeful expression that suggested that he didn't want there to be.

"Well, some of the horses need to be taken out to pasture so they can graze and run around," the stable-hand said after some thought. "I'd let you go early, but I'm afraid I was told to keep you working till dinner."

Thor groaned.

"Oh, okay," Loki said, letting his face fall slightly, before giving a resigned shrug and inquiring "Any certain horses we should take out?"

"Anyone that looks restless," The stable-hand answered with a grin.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Thor said, watching excitedly as Loki opened Sleipnir's stall and slipped inside.

"Of course," Loki smirked, his eyes glinting amusedly as Thor waited a short distance away.

Sleipnir whinnied, nudging Loki with his dark gray head, the boy smiling and rubbing Sleipnir's velvety nose.

"My brother and I are going to take you out," Loki told the horse, "So you're going to have to wear one of these, at least until we get to the pasture." As he said this, Loki held up the rope harness.

Sleipnir bowed his head down so Loki could slip it onto his head, pulling a section of the rope behind the horse's ears and trying it in a loose knot on the other side.

Holding onto the lead rope, Loki led Sleipnir out of his stall, his eight legs pounding an elaborate drumbeat against the stable floor.

"Are all the rumors about Sleipnir being wild and dangerous and hurting people true?" Thor asked, coming up to walk beside his brother, his eyes wide as he grinned at the idea of danger.

"Some of them," Loki answered. He kept walking towards the pasture on the other side of the training field where a few of the other horses were romping, Sleipnir staying calmly beside him.

"Then how do you know Sleipnir won't go crazy and hurt us?" Thor said, casting the horse a glance, though he seemed more fascinated than worried.

"He won't," Loki said, smiling crookedly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. His expression was secretive and frustratingly knowing.

"Trust me."

* * *

**Yeah, it's short. I'm sorry. I've been tired all day, and I didn't know why... until I remembered that I got less than four hours of sleep last night. And I forgot to take a nap. And I'm afraid that if I stay up much later I'm going to keel over asleep on the hardwood floor. So yeah, that's my excuse. **

**And I really hope this chapter isn't lame, and the next one should be longer, hopefully, and you will get explanation about Sleipnir. And for those of you who don't seem to read the author's notes (although admittedly sometimes I'm just giving excuses or rambling or whatever, sometimes I actually say important stuff, for instance) **

**SLEIPNIR IS NOT, I REPEAT, _NOT_ LOKI'S SON IN THIS STORY. **

**He is in the myths, yes, but I am taking liberties. You will see in the next chapter. It will probably be a flashback *gasp* I haven't done a flashback before! This should be fun! **

**And I don't know why I'm writing about horses, seeing as I know hardly anything about them and have very limited experience working with them. If things are weird, let me know, and I will change what I can, as long as it doesn't require me to rewrite a bunch of stuff because I'm too lazy. **

**Anyways, please review? :3**

**(Also, did anybody catch the Thor: Tales of Asgard reference? :)) **


	59. Chapter 59

**SURPRISE! I was so excited about writing this chapter, that I wrote it a day early XD  
**

**And of course, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT! Seriously, you're all amazing *-* And a special shout to all my reviewers! Your comments brighten my day and keep this story going :3 **

**NOTE: This chapter is a flashback. Loki is probably the equivalent of an eight year old human. Except not, because he's a god, and is more intelligent and powerful than any human could possibly be at that age. Actually, he's more intelligent and powerful than any human could possibly be, like, ever. Because he's LOKI. And he's a freaking godly genius, even when he's that young. So yeah! ;)**

* * *

_Loki shouldn't have heard it. _

_He'd been tucked up in his bedroom with his nose in a book, the window opened just a crack, just enough to let in a cool breath of wind that sighed against Loki's cheek, ruffling the pages beneath his fingers. _

_Just enough to let in a scattered spray of noise that itched where it met his eardrums. _

_It was hardly enough to be noticeable, but somehow enough to be distinguishable. _

_Loki should not have heard it._

_But he did, and he leapt up from his bed, closing the book and setting it on his pillow before running to the window, throwing it completely open, the wind rushing past his face and dancing through his hair till it fluttered with the uneven beat of a butterfly's wing, like the streams of night that flickered in the gaps between the stars. _

_Casting his eyes down he saw nothing but the trees in the gardens below bowing to the might of the wind, and the morning mist that hurdled over the distant mountain peaks like the wind's war horses, galloping into the valley below before dissipating in the sunlight like dreams. _

_Not wasting a moment, Loki had almost run through his door to dash down the hall, crashing into Thor halfway down the stairs, grabbed his brother's sleeve and dragged him along, the older boy bemused, trying to shake of the younger boy's iron grip on his sleeve, but Loki was too full of curiosity to answer Thor's inquiries. _

_The castle was a blur of gold, the gardens a blur of green. _

_For once, it was Loki's mind that was a blur of red. _

"_You can't kill him!" The boy cried desperately, his mother's hand gripping his shoulder. _

_Her voice was like the blankets that he pulled over his head at night to block out the chill. "His legs are broken, dear. There's nothing that can be done for him." _

_But he always ended up kicking the blankets off—_

"_It wasn't his fault! Those men were idiots!"_

—_He wasn't afraid of the cold. _

_Perhaps he should have been. _

"_I know dear, I know. But there's nothing we can do for him."_

_Her other hand was clamped on the shoulder of her older son, who was watching the scene before him with wide, confused eyes, the blue as dark as the remnants of sky that bled through the shattered clouds as they blocked the sun. _

"_Please," Loki begged, and he hated the sound of his voice even as it was ripped from his throat. "He shouldn't have to die just because some idiotic men tied him to a dead tree in the middle of a windstorm!" _

_His voice was desperate and blended into the rasping howls that were uttered by the gusts. "They didn't even check on him! They didn't even know! They didn't even _hear!"

"_Brother," Thor spoke, his voice gentle, his voice oh so gentle. He place a warm hand on Loki's other shoulder. His hand was so warm it burned against Loki's skin. "The horse can't live with his legs broken." _

"_You don't think I know that?" Loki bit out, all too aware of the stinging at the back of his eyes. _

_Not tears. It was just the effects of the wind that whipped his face. Not tears. _

_But there was nothing to be done, and so he ran. _

_He ran against the wind. _

_The air in the library was so still that he fell to his knees, gasping at the lack of movement. The lack of life. The air was heavy, dull, dead._

_The books were all out of his reach, so he left the ground forsaken and clung to the vertical plane, gathering books into his arms until his hand slipped and he tumbled back down. _

_The pages flurried with blinding speed as he his eyes flicked over parchment and ink, tasting despair with his eyes till he could it coated his tongue and he could make not a sound. _

_Nothing was right. Nothing was what he needed. _

_He needed nothing. _

_He had everything. _

_There were bits and pieces, but they were broken. He could see it in his mind's eye, what it should be, what it could be. And so he created. _

_He knew not how knew what he knew, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter if weaving together bits of silver and hope and strength and sparks that were anything but opaque into a chain that he knew nobody would ever trust to hold any weight. _

_But it was not weight that needed to be held. _

_And so he pieced together what was in pieces, tossing them haphazardly together, welding them with fingers that warmed at the tips and smoothed the edges, attracting the magic like metal to fire. _

_He had everything. _

_Everything except for time. _

_How long would they wait? How long till they gave a meaningless life mercy?_

_Oh, he was merciless. He brought mercy not—he brought meaning. He brought life. _

_He stuffed it into his pockets and left the books closed on the desk. _

_Again, he ran. _

_But this time he ran with the wind. _

_The people he passed thought that he had lost something. He kept stuffing his hands into his pockets, as if checking them over and over again. _

_They didn't feel the power that pulsed in those folds of cloth, dripping over the edges and twining down his legs like snakes, didn't feel the power that dripped from him, didn't see how he caught it in his palms and rolled it around like balls of quicksilver. _

_They didn't hear his silence. _

_When he got to the stall, he found the horse, his gray coat that had almost lost all its colt fuzz, gleaming with sweat. _

_They hadn't come yet. The blades had to be sharp, after all. Sharp and clean, blood without pain, once without an again. _

_But Loki was merciless. He bound the horse's legs in his chain, and as it radiated and pulsed, it squirmed and grew, expanding upon shreds of what was not yet lost._

_Death would not take this horse. Especially not this horse. _

_Loki watched, and sometimes he watched the field where the horses frolicked. _

_They were free, they were so free, and their legs to them were the wind to clouds, what sent one speeding across the sky, sending the other speeding across the ground. _

_Though this horse wasn't the fastest nor the strongest, he had something the other steeds lacked, something intangible, something that sparked in the horse's different colored eyes, that scattered from his shaken mane like water droplets, something about the way he skittered his hooves across the ground as if he knew that it was nothing but a barrier of what he ought to be, the way he never stopped racing even though his pace was uncertain, yet he held something in the way he held his head up, in the way he ran till his coat gleamed with sweat and his legs trembled even when the others hardly tried. _

_Something about him was so very, very alive. _

_Loki took the horse's head in his lap, stroking the silky nose; the horse's eyes closed, breathing frantic. _

_And Loki whispered. _

_He whispered as he felt his spell twining tighter, pulsing brighter, and he leaned a hand out and let it sink its fangs into his hand, his own eyes rolling back into his head as the spell fed itself on his energy, till the air was hazy with power the way it would shimmer with heat. _

_He knew he wouldn't be looked for here—he was just reading in his bedroom, after all. _

_But that didn't mean that just because he wasn't lost and nobody looked for him he wouldn't be found. _

_At this point, he could care less. _

_His spell didn't either. _

_And he couldn't help but marvel at his creation, the grace of pieces that didn't fit fitting—not perfect like a machine, but imperfect like something living._

_His last coherent thoughts were of blurs of blue. _

_When he was shaken awake, it was to the hiss of "What have you done?!" _

_But wasn't it obvious?_

_Yet he couldn't help the feeling that washed over him in blurs of violet, when he saw that the horse's legs were no longer broken. So what if there were twice as many as before?_

_That hadn't been part of the plan, of course, but chaos never went according to plan, and what was it else if not chaos, to bend the rules out of the way till the almost but not quite shattered. _

_He was punished, but it didn't hurt. Not really. _

_Leastways, any pain was dispersed by the rush of wind that buffeted past his face when the horse broke free, running so fast that nobody, not god nor equine, could catch him. _

_He couldn't be caught. And yet he came back._

_The Allfather then took the 'abomination' as his own steed, and nobody muttered another black word, as lies smoothed the edges till the truth was just a blur of silver that was looked over as nothing but a trace left by blinking when the sky breathed wind into one's face. _

_And the eight-legged horse was just another freak of nature, just another gift from the Norns, just another turn of crazy fate. _

_Not magic. And definitely not the magic of the Allfather's youngest son. _

_It wasn't a hard lie, not when the truth was so much more unbelievable. _

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Because I know I had a ridiculous amount of fun writing it :D And you know... I think it's possibly the longest chapter I've ever written O.O And it's kind of a different style from usual... :)  
**

******Hopefully this chapter satisfied some of your curiosity and cleared up a few things!**

**(On a random note, I was listening to Spectrum by Florence and the Machine while writing this chapter... and I think it kind of shows XD) **

**Please review? I'd love to hear your thoughts! ^.^**

******(I just went back and tried to fix all the typos... but let me know if you see anything!) **


	60. Chapter 60

**You! I'm talking to you! Yes, you! I love you! ^.^ Thank you gazillions for all your support! *-* **

**And I hope you enjoy the chapter :D**

* * *

Once inside the pasture, Loki led Sleipnir over to the fence. He didn't even bother to tie Sleipnir's lead rope, simply letting it drop to the ground as he climbed up and stood on the top of the fence.

Sleipnir moved forward, nickering and tossing his head, as if he found Loki balancing on the top of the fence and walking after him funny.

"Sleipnir," Loki groaned exaggeratedly, glaring at the horse.

Thor watched confusedly as Sleipnir kept moving forward, increasing his speed till Loki was running along the top of the fence.

"Get back here, you!" Loki shouted through a grin.

Thor climbed up on the fence to follow them. If Loki was walking on it, it couldn't be that hard, right? He crouched on the top of the 4-inch wide fence before slowly standing up, letting go, only to grab the fence again.

Finally managing to stand up, Thor took a few uncertain steps, his arms pinwheeling wildly to keep his balance.

"Thor! Move!"

Thor turned his head just in time to see Loki hurtling towards him from behind, about to crash into him.

"Aaaahhhhggghh!" Thor cried in surprise, jumping off the fence and rolling on the ground, ending up lying on his back.

Sleipnir leaped over his face, and Thor flinched, covering his face with his hands. "Don't hurt my beautiful face!"

There was soft laughter. "I think you've been hanging around with Fandral too much; he's starting to rub off on you."

Thor peeked out from behind his hands to see Sleipnir a few feet away, prancing his eight-legs energetically, Loki seated on his back and wearing an amused smirk.

Huffing, Thor pushed himself to his feet.  
"Do you mind riding bareback?" Loki asked, tilting his head to the side as he observed his brother.

"Of course not! Just because I've never done it before doesn't mean I'm not capable!" Thor said indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Loki nodded, as if that was what he'd expected, before Sleipnir walked over to the fence.

"Come on, then," Loki grinned.

* * *

Thor's arms wrapped tight around Loki's midriff as he sat behind the younger boy. His blue eyes were round with wonder as the wind stung against his face, Sleipnir seeming to nearly tear the ground apart with each hoof beat.

Sleipnir raced around the pasture, literally running circles around the other horses.

"I don't think this is going to burn off all Sleipnir's excess energy," Loki mused, Thor barely catching his words as they were whipped from his mouth by the air. "So don't tell Father, okay?"

Thor said, his mouth only a few inches from Loki's left ear. "Don't tell Father what?"

"Swear?"

"What?" Thor asked, getting more confused by the moment.

"Swear not to tell Father."

"Okay, I swear," Thor answered.

The next thing he knew, Sleipnir had leaped the pasture fence and started galloping down a dirt road that wound its way into the forest.

Thor raised his eyebrows. "Is this allowed?" He asked.

"No," Loki said, turning his head to smile at Thor. "Why do you think I asked you to swear?"

"I hope you know what you're doing," Thor muttered, letting his head rest on Loki's shoulder.

He didn't hear Loki laughing, but he felt it.

* * *

They'd been riding for half an hour, and Sleipnir showed no sign of slowing down.

If anything, he seemed to be speeding up.

Loki's hands were woven into Sleipnir's mane as he leaned forward against the horse's neck. "Sleipnir, when was the last time they exercised you? Don't tell me Odin hasn't had need for any rides lately and all the stable-hands were too afraid."

Sleipnir snorted as if in affirmation, putting on a burst of speed.

Both boys widened their eyes as suddenly space snapped.

* * *

A moment before, the dark forest scenery had been rushing by, gradually giving way to sunnier grasslands. Fast, yes. Faster than any other horse could run.

But now everything was a blur.

A complete blur.

Ground and sky melted together into a smear of black, stars seeming to peek out from between cracks and fissures.

_Loki,_ Thor breathed. He could barely feel his body, as if he'd been somehow detached, and he tightened his grip on his younger brother almost subconsciously. He wasn't even sure if he was riding a horse anymore; it just felt like being dragged by his sternum through manifested shadows, which had pooled and collected till they were tangible as wind and fluid as flame.

When he got an answer, he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

_Thor. _

_What's going on? _Thor asked, a note of desperation lacing the words—or were they thoughts? At this point, he couldn't tell.

_I think... _

There was a hesitation, before the sound of Loki's voice continued. _I think Sleipnir has passed into the space between worlds. _

_What?! _Thor's voice sounded hysterical, but it could have just been an effect of the echoes in the folded shadow of space they were traveling in.

There was a silence that felt thoughtful.

_In order for this kind of—magic__—_travel to be possible it would require that there be—chaos—an area with magic in high quantities or else a being completely saturated by magic—by power—in such a way that it would be—multidimensional—able to slip between the layers of—ether—what's possible and what should not—chaotic—which would require a great deal of—

_LOKI! _

—_Slippers—What? Oh—Sleipnir! Sleipnir, get us out of here now! _

* * *

**HONESTLY, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN! THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN! O.O **

**I read somewhere_—_I don't remember where, though_—_that Sleipnir could travel between time and space or something. And I know for sure in the myths that he could travel to Hel, and I'm pretty sure that no ordinary horse would ever be able to do that. So that's where that came from. I think.**

**Looking at this chapter and the last, I can't help but wonder if I've been more mentally addled than usual this past week... and this time I can't even blame it on the song I was listening to. **

**Please leave a review? I'd love to hear what you think of these recent developments! :3**


	61. Chapter 61

**As always, thank you so much to everyone who has faved, followed, and reviewed! The response to this story has been more than I could ever have hoped for, and I'm so honored to have such amazing readers *-* **

**Read on, fellow mortals! And I hope you enjoy :D**

* * *

A pair of eyes in the dark.

As if fires were lit behind them, they flickered and pulsed—red, orange, yellow—gold.

Icy breath drifting from behind glinting canine teeth, black fur shadowed and illuminated by the firelight that caused the blood to glisten like polished chrome, casting the huge wolf as a silhouette, darkness swirled in darkness and wisps of fog cowering behind it.

A chain trailed along the ground like a languid serpent.

_Garm, _Loki blinked, and Thor felt it as if it were his own eyelashes tickling his own cheek. _Watchdog of Helheim. _

The sound of bones grinding was only a snarl, lips pulled back to reveal burgundy and incisors like moonlight.

Sleipnir skidded his hooves, creating sparks that flurried behind him and crackled, tasting of smoke, as he changed direction and sprang back towards the darkness with his gloaming coat slinking back to the shade of night.

When echoes of howling continued to chase them like nightmares, Loki's lips pulled back in a grin that cracked open the spaces where stars hid, and Sleipnir whispered through like wind through leaves.

* * *

As soon as his eight hooves touched down on solid Asgardian soil, Loki's hands slid out from Sleipnir's mane and he fell.

Thor's cry of _Loki! _didn't even make it to his mouth as he jumped from Sleipnir's back to the ground, taking his limp brother into his arms.

_Oh brother, look at me please! You can't be... no, please... (I have no idea what happened... what happened?!)_

Thor rocked Loki's cold form back and forth, his fear dripping wetly down his stricken face, blue eyes clouding over with a gathering storm. His chin trembled.

"Thor..."

When Thor looked down his brother in his arms, he nearly dropped him—Loki's eyes were more than green; they were _glowing. _

"Loki?" Thor asked, as if making sure.

"Yes," Loki answered, pulling himself from Thor's embrace and sitting up so he could look at his older brother, his eyes slowly returning to normal. He smirked. "Did you need something, brother?"

Thor couldn't help it: he started laughing. He clutched his sides and doubled over, his whole body wracking as if in sobs, he placed a hand on the ground to hold himself up, blond hair falling into his face as he gasped for breath.

And Loki couldn't help but laugh along with him.

* * *

"What... in all the Nine Realms... just happened?" Thor asked finally, still smiling.

Loki cast a glance at Sleipnir, who was grazing nearby, his coat gleaming with sweat.

"Sleipnir took us past Helheim," Loki answered matter-of-factly.

Thor sobered immediately. "Oh Norns..." he said, as the reality of it hit him. "I mean, I knew that, but I thought that maybe..."

"I know," Loki said. He sent a sideways look at his brother. "Did you hear her?"

"Hear who?" Thor asked, confused.

"Never mind," Loki shook his head. Looking up at the sun, he widened his eyes, cursing. "We need to be getting back; it's almost dinner."

The ride back was silent except for the sound of crickets beginning their evening serenade as the two boys tried to absorb what had happened.

"Remember, you swore not to tell," Loki said, as they came back up to the castle courtyard. "Just don't say anything and let me do all the talking."

"Of course," Thor smiled. He'd long since learned it was best to just let Loki talk them out of trouble.

* * *

"Heimdall," Odin demanded, striding up to the gatekeeper, who stared at him expressionlessly with his golden eyes. "Where are my sons?"

"They are at the royal stables," Heimdall answered in his deep voice.

"I just went to the stables when they didn't arrive on time for dinner, but they _weren't there," _Odin said, frustrated. "And neither was Sleipnir!"

The corner of Heimdall's lip twitched the smallest amount. "They are all three of them there now, I assure you."

Odin stormed off, Heimdall smirking behind his back.

* * *

Loki had just turned around from closing Sleipnir in his stall when Odin strode into the stables.

"What. Were. You. Boys. Thinking?" The Allfather ground out, his one eye glaring at them furiously.

Thor leaned against the stall and crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head down so his hair fell into his face and Odin couldn't see his expression.

Loki looked confused at Odin's accusation, his eyebrows coming together slightly. "We only did what we were told to do," He answered, blinking.

"The stable-hand told you take _Sleipnir _out for a _ride," _Odin said disbelievingly, glaring all the more.

"No, but he told us to take the horses that looked restless out to the pasture, and Sleipnir was pacing his stall was kicking things, so we took him out as well," Loki explained, his voice brimming with truth as he stared his father in the eye unflinchingly.

"But when we put him in the pasture, he was running circles around the other horses, and it looked as if he might accidentally hurt them, or himself, so we thought it would be better to take him out for a trail ride in the forest to burn of some of his excess energy."

Odin looked at him suspiciously. "What took you so long, then?"

"We might have gotten a bit lost," Loki admitted, dropping his gaze and scuffing his right foot against the ground. "But we did find our way back!" He added, looking back up with a sheepish smile.

Seeing his father's stern expression, Loki's face fell, and he frowned worriedly. "We didn't completely miss dinner, did we?"

At the mention of dinner, Thor's stomach growled, loudly enough for both Loki and Odin to hear.

Loki snickered.

"No, dinner's going on yet," The Allfather said, sighing. "Just, from now on, make sure you _ask for my permission _before taking Sleipnir out. Are we clear?"

Both boys nodded.

* * *

**Yeah, I've been having _so_ much fun writing these chapters XD Not that I wasn't having fun before, but you know ;) And this time I actually can blame everything on the songs that I listened too... **

**Questions? Comments? Constructive criticisms? I'd love it if you would review! (Please? :3) **


	62. Chapter 62

**As always, thank you all so much for your support! Truly, it means the world to me *-***

**I hope you enjoy the chapter, loves! ^.^**

* * *

"Thor!"

Thor looked up, smiling when he saw Sif and the three boys run over as he entered the dining hall, Odin ahead of him and Loki just beside him, so close the sleeves of their tunics brushed as they walked.

Sif punched Thor in the shoulder as Hogun nodded a hello, Volstagg tugging on everyone's tunics and trying to get them over to the dining tables, eying the food hungrily. Fandral wrinkled his nose, commenting "You smell like horse."

Thor snorted. "I've been working in the stables all day," he pointed out.

"Well, make sure you take a bath," Fandral grinned, patting the groaning Thor on the shoulder as they all followed Volstagg over to the tables.

"What took you so long?" Sif inquired, sitting down and leaning back in her chair. "We thought Volstagg was going to polish everything off before you finally got here."

"We..." Thor cast a glance at Loki who had sat down next to him.

Loki's lips quirked and he raised an eyebrow, supplying "We got lost when we took a horse out an a ride in the forest. Thor just doesn't want to admit it because it was his fault we took a wrong turn—"

"Loki!" Thor protested indignantly, poking him in the side, causing Loki to flinch and knock into the table, almost knocking over his cup of water onto Volstagg.

Loki giggled as Thor glared him.

"You're not the only ones who were doing chores all day. Do you have any idea all the work I had to do in the garden?" Fandral said, making a face. "And then _Hogun _threw _dirt _at me..." He accused.

"I was not going to be doing all the work," Hogun defended himself gruffly.

"But still! You threw _dirt _at me, and it got in my hair!" Fandral complained, crossing his arms haughtily.

"Well, you _were _just admiring your reflection in the pond," Sif shrugged unsympathetically. "If he hadn't done anything, I would have pushed you into the water myself."

"At least I didn't almost eat all the cloudberries and get yelled at by the gardener," Fandral said as he nudged Volstagg, who was gnawing on a leg of boar.

As the others bickered, the two princes ate their meal silently.

Or rather, Loki moved the food around on his plate trying to make it look like he'd actually eaten some of it, when the very idea of putting food in his mouth seemed to be making him nauseous. He finally pushed the plate away from him and picked up his cup, taking sips of water.

Thor on the other hand had started off eating heartily, but had steadily slowed down until finally his head was nodding over his bowl of stew, which looked like it was in immediate danger of being face-planted into.

Fortunately Frigga noticed their plight and came sweeping over. "Alright children," she said, using the tone of mothers do when they're about to say something they know will elicit protests, but they're not going to take no for an answer. "Remember that part of the punishment is an earlier bedtime."

There was a chorus of groans and complaints.

"You all have till the count of five to get out of the dining hall and start heading home or to your sleeping chambers."

"One..."

Loki was up instantly, tugging on a bleary-eyed Thor to get him out of his chair.

"Two..."

Loki started dragging Thor from the dining hall to the closest door, the older boy stumbling behind him, while the others got out of their chairs and pushed them in.

"Three..."

Volstagg grabbed one last piece of grovbrød as Sif, Fandral, and Hogun started racing to the door on the opposite side of the hall see who could be the first out. Thor tripped on a chair leg and nearly caused both him and Loki to tumbled to the ground.

"Four..."

Loki finally got Thor to the doors and tried to open them. When they wouldn't budge, he tugged harder, and suddenly the doors swung open, causing Loki to stagger backwards into his brother. On the other side of the hall, Sif had taken the lead and was almost to the doors, Hogun in second and Fandral in close third, Volstagg trailing behind them as he tried to catch up.

"Five."

The flash of Volstagg's red brown tunic disappeared out the door, and the hall was completely vacant of young godlings.

Frigga smiled to herself.

* * *

Frigga caught up to her exhausted sons just before they reached the stairs, and took Thor's hand in one of hers and Loki's in her other.

"You two have been unusually quiet since you got back," she remarked.

"It was a long day," Loki said, letting a hint of weariness enter his voice. He glanced up at her, asking "How much longer does this punishment last?"

"Just the next few weeks, excluding tomorrow and the next couple days because of the feast and the council," Frigga answered.

Thor perked up slightly. "Oh, do we get our new dress outfits? I'm not fond of my old one: it's all itchy."

"You'll get them tomorrow morning," Frigga said, chuckling. "You boys are going to look splendid."

* * *

**To all of you who were confused about why Loki's eyes were glowing in the previous chapter: Basically, when Sleipnir took them between realms, they were traveling through the branches of Yggdrasil. I'm using the idea that Yggdrasil is kind of the ultimate entity of life and magic as it connects all of the Nine Realms and the space between... if that makes any sense... so since Loki is intensively magical I figured he'd be very sensitive to that sort of thing, so he was brimming with all this excess magic that sort of connected with his own. I'm not all that great at explaining, but there's a possibility I'll be weaving this into the story in the future, so hopefully it will make more sense, sort of :3**

**On another note, I only have another week and a half of school! Woot! I am SO looking forward to summer vacation :D**

**Which brings me to my next announcement, and you PROBABLY WANT TO READ THIS NEXT BIT EVEN IF YOU NORMALLY DON'T READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES BECAUSE THIS REGARDS THE UPDATE SCHEDULE OF THIS STORY! **

**I have been updating this story regularly twice a week, but during the summer all schedule will be abandoned (because of the fact that there's ****like, a TON of ideas for stories that I want to write... they've been driving me CRAZY XD As well as that I'm doing some other stuff during the summer and would miss updates anyway.) Loki's Pranks will probably still be updated, but updates will be sporadic and likely significantly more infrequent. There will be three more regular updates, but then we'll have to see how it goes. Like I said though, I am NOT abandoning this story, and updates will return to regular when school starts up again (though possibly on different days, as my school schedule will change,) because this story is ideal for writing during the school year, while I won't be able to write other stuff. **

******I'm really sorry... but if you like my work, definitely keep an eye out this summer, because I should be posting a ton of stuff ^.^ **

*******glances up* Okay woah, that was a long A/N O.O Anyways... please review! :D **


	63. Chapter 63

**As always, thank you all SO MUCH for all your support! Especially to everyone who has alerted, faved, and/or reviewed ^.^  
**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"_Child of chaos."_

_A skeletal hand trimmed with dead flesh brushed the tresses of darkness out from behind his ear so that it fell into his face, brushing softly against his skin, and Loki couldn't be sure if he'd closed his eyes or not, because it all looked the same—just ghosts of colors shifting in shadows, darting and flitting away every time he tried to focus on the shapes; every time he tried to see past what they appeared to be to what they _were.

_But they couldn't hide from him forever. _

_A smirk curled across his lips like smoke, dancing softly, dissipating without ever becoming nothing. "Hela,"_ _Loki acknowledged. _

* * *

"Loki Loki Loki Loki Loki! Lokiiiiiiiiiiii!"

Thor leapt onto his little brother's bed and started bouncing, forcing his little brother airborne with each jump.

"Get up sleepyhead! It's the feast today!" Thor exclaimed excitedly, practically grinning his face off. "And we're getting our new outfits!"

"Good for you," Loki mumbled, hugging his pillow to his chest and burying his face in it.

Thor snorted. "Good morning to you, too! Now get! Up!" He tried fruitlessly to pull the pillow out of Loki's grasp, but upon realizing he would sooner lift both Loki and the pillow up than pry the pillow out of his little brother's grip, he stood back, crossing his arms. He pursed his lips.

"Brother, if you don't get up, I _will _tickle you until you beg for mercy," Thor threatened.

Loki muttered something sarcastic and buried deeper into the blankets, but Thor couldn't make out the muffled words.

"You asked for it," Thor shrugged, grabbing the edge of the blankets and jerking them off the bed.

Loki rolled off the bed and along the floor, ending up sitting on his knees and looking at Thor over the top of his pillow with widened green eyes that seemed to double in size in his face.

Thor internally groaned. "Sorry, but that is _not _going to work on me!" He pontificated, though he was faltering visibly.

"Liar," Loki teased, tossing his pillow up into the air.

While Thor's eyes followed the arc of the pillow coming towards him, Loki took the opportunity to peg Thor in the face with another pillow.

"Oof!" Thor uttered in surprise, stumbling backwards slightly, the pillow sliding down his face and into his hands. "Oh, so we're playing unfair, huh?" Thor grinned, his blue eyes sparking.

"Fine—take that!" Thor said, grabbing the other pillow of the ground and proceeding to hit his little brother with both of them.

Frigga came in just at that moment, to see Loki curled into a ball, wrapping his arms over his head to protect himself while Thor whacked him mercilessly with the two pillows.

"Thor!" She said sternly. Thor stopped and looked up guiltily.

"Mother," Loki called, getting up and running over to her and hugging her around the waist tightly. "Thor was kept hitting me, and I didn't even do anything!" He sniffled, lip trembling.

"No—but—Loki started it!" Thor defended himself.

"I only hit you once," Loki said, obviously hurt."But you kept hitting me..." His dark eyebrows came together slightly as if he couldn't understand _why. _

Frigga looked down at Loki softly, before turning her gaze to her older son, saying severely: "Thor, you have to be careful with Loki, he's smaller and younger than you. And if you're going to have a pillow fight, you have to make sure that the both of you have pillows," she continued, stroking Loki's ruffled hair. "It's nonchivalrous to fight those who can't defend themselves, especially when you have a weapon and they don't."

Thor bowed his head, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Now apologize to your brother," Frigga commanded, Loki still burying his face into her dress.

"I'm sorry Loki," Thor mumbled.

Loki smirked devilishly into the golden fabric. Slowly, he let go of Frigga, his expression once more crafted into one of hurt. He chewed on his lower lip and looked up at Thor from beneath his dark eyebrows, making his eyes widen.

"I forgive you..." Loki said after a moment.

Thor grinned in relief as the mood of the room lightened considerably.

"Alright boys," Frigga said, "Are you ready for your new outfits?"

"Yes!" Thor said eagerly, brightening.

Frigga handed each of her sons a folded set of clothes. "Go try these on for me," She smiled.

* * *

Loki was out first, walking into his room nonchalantly and fiddling with his leather wrist cuffs. His colored shirt was the colors of the spring sky, the soft fabric crinkling at his shoulders, elbows and wrists like different shades of blue crinkling at the edges of the horizon. He wore over it a tunic the shade of newly sprouted spring grass, and a black stripe snaked along the V-neck, which balanced out the light shades and accented his hair, along with his dark trousers. A black leather belt barely stayed above his hips, even though it was set to the smallest notch.

"Oh Loki, you look beautiful," Frigga breathed, turning him around so she could see his outfit from all sides.

Loki rolled his eyes, but he was smiling slightly.

"I can't..." Thor complained, trying to turn down his stubborn collar, his shirt being the same light blue as Loki's. However his tunic and trousers were the roiling gray of the sort of summer thunderstorm that completely smothered the sun, with a deep red fabric draping along his shoulders in the suggestion of a cape, the intense colors making his blond hair all the brighter in contrast.

"You look beautiful as well, dear," Frigga said, turning Thor around, before she frowned and eyed him suspiciously. "Thor, where's your belt?" She inquired.

"My belt...?" Thor trailed off, trying to remember. "Oh, right!" He ran back to his room and returned a few moments later carrying a black leather belt.

"Here, let me help you," Frigga offered.

Thor handed her the belt, and she secured it around his midriff, then fixed his collar as well.

"There," she announced, smiling proudly. "Now you're both ready—clothes-wise, at least. You both still need to brush your hair."

Thor and Loki groaned simultaneously.

* * *

**Oh wow, okay, it's almost 2:00 in the morning... I blame homework for killing my mind and making writing difficult...  
**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to post on Tuesday night, because of finals :( I will, however, be posting Wednesday night instead, because I will be DONE with school :D Turns out my last final is Wednesday, so I get out two days earlier than some of my fellow peers ;) **

**Anyways, I hope I didn't disappoint anyone too badly with this chapter not getting anywhere, but that feast IS coming—most likely the next chapter ;P And I don't know how to make clothing descriptions interesting... I tried though...  
**

**Please review? It would really make my day! :3**


	64. Chapter 64

**Thank you all so much for all your support, loves! Honestly, your support takes my breath away *-***

**So, here's the beginning of the well-awaited feast! :D I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

As it turned out, Frigga fussed over them all the way up until the midday feast: first she made them brush their hair, then she realized that neither of them had taken a bath the day before and they still smelled like horse, so she made them each take baths while she made last minute minuscule alterations to their outfits, which after they donned once again they had to brush their hair and comb it into place—_again_.

As it was customary not to eat breakfast on feast days, both boys were getting irritable both from hunger and from the constant fussing and being lectured on the proper behavior requirements of being the Princes of Asgard, when finally, _finally, _they heard the blast of the horn that signaled that the feast was about to begin.

"Please tell me Father won't be giving a long speech?" Thor said hopefully. "I'm hungry enough to take on Volstagg!"

Frigga just chuckled, before breezing out the door and gesturing for them to follow her.

"That means he will be," Loki supplied.

Thor grumbled to himself all the way to the Feast Hall, slumping his shoulders slightly.

Loki nudged him right before they entered the huge bustling chamber.

Thor glanced over at him, to see Loki staring at him meaningfully, his posture completely straight, shoulders back and chin up.

Thor took the hint and stood up straighter.

* * *

Having already finished his meal (he'd eaten as fast as was neatly and politely possible, being especially hungry after not eating dinner the night before,) Loki observed the ambassadors. He noted the tension that tingled between them like the electricity of a gathering storm, the way they avoided each other's stony glances and talked brusquely with barely hidden contempt, like they all thought they were above each other.

As he watched a smirk began to tug at his lips, a familiar glint edging his gaze.

"Loki, what are you planning?" Thor asked somewhat warily.

"Nothing I never warned might or might not occur," Loki answered, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder as he glanced about calculatingly.

"You know," he said, almost absently, "I think you've finished your cider."

Thor picked up his empty goblet and glanced inside. "So you're right," he acknowledged.

"ANOTHER!"

As Thor yelled and shattered the goblet against the floor, Loki ran his tongue over the edges of his teeth, and it was impossible to tell that when he moved his mouth ever so slightly in speech he made no audible noise.

* * *

"_Maggots from Ymir's flesh, that's all the Dwarves are. Good for making things out of metal, but other than that? Pathetic creatures."_

The Dwarf ambassador couldn't help overhearing the mumblings of some of the Aesir guards. He busied himself with the food in front of him, trying not to listen.

"_Disgusting gluttons, the lot of them..." _

The Dwarf stared determinedly at the food in front of him, speculating just how easy it would be to flip it over so the food met the Aesir's faces.

* * *

"_Cowardly Dark Elves, hiding from everything—sunlight, conflict... why should we align ourselves with a race of creatures that would never fight and come to our aid because they're too afraid?"_

The Dark Elf ambassador looked up just as a bilberry pegged him in the jaw. He glared seethingly at the Dwarf across from him, who was frowning at his plate, obviously irked over something.

The Dark Elf reigned himself in, returning to feasting and purposefully ignoring the Dwarf.

Another bilberry hit him beneath his eye, splattering against his violet skin.

"_Dark Elves, who can't even craft weapons strong enough to withstand more than a couple blows from Dwarven blades..." _

Having been forced to turn over his weapons as part of feast etiquette, the Dark Elf reached for the first available object, his hand latching around a leg of boar.

* * *

"_Such a pretty, pretty face. But in a war? The Light Elves, who live their lives playing music and dancing in meadows, how would they fare?" _

A lingonberry came out of nowhere, splattering against the Light Elf's cheek. The ambassador of the Light Elves turned his gaze to the Dark Elf across from him, who was picking at his lingonberry relish haughtily.

The Light Elf looked away in frustration, tilting up his chin and turning up his sculpturesque nose ever so slightly. What did the dingy Dark Elves know?

"_I doubt such peaceful creatures even have the guts to get their dainty hands dirty, much less fight if need be. They wouldn't want to get their dress gowns all bloody..." _

Another lingonberry splattered against the Light Elf's dress gown, this time in the chest.

The Light Elf glanced down at the wienerbrød in his hand with a grim set of his lips.

* * *

"_Is it true, what they say, about Vanir being able to predict the future? Then why don't you predict this!" _

The Vanir ambassador started as a strawberry landed in his goblet of mead, splashing some of the contents out onto his sleeve.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Light Elf turning up his nose arrogantly.

"_Fanfarons..." _

The Vanir grabbed his goblet of mead, ready to dump the contents—strawberry and all—onto the Light Elf's head.

* * *

Nobody knew who started it.

The Aesir blamed the Vanir, who blamed the Light Elves, who blamed the Dark Elves, who blamed the Dwarves, who blamed the Aesir.

But suddenly all chaos broke loose and food was flying across the table, the ambassadors standing up and shouting at each other, uttering battle cries as they pegged each other with the food from the feast.

As stray pieces of food hit the other assembled Aesir, they grabbed the delicacies of their plates and joined the fray as well, not to turn down a fight.

Nobody saw the young princes in the corner, Thor snickering and Loki smirking.

Oh how easy it was to ignite the tension into lightning.

* * *

**Don't worry too much about them having ruined everything—every cloud has a silver lining! ;)**

**Wienerbrød is a Danish pasty, a common flavor being cardamom. **

**Anyways, I had my last final today, and it's like 2:00am again... but that's okay, because I get to sleep in tomorrow because I'm DONE with this school year! XD  
**

**I wish all of you who still have finals luck! ^.^**

**So, just as a reminder, this Saturday will be the last regular update. After that, I have no idea. I will be writing like crazy this summer, I can promise you that ;) But probably not on this story very often. **

**I hope this chapter met up to your expectations... O.O **

**Please review for me? :3**


	65. Chapter 65

**I'M SORRY I AM SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS LATE IT WASN'T MY FAULT I SWEAR! I had the chapter all typed up and _everything _but Fanfiction wasn't working for me yesterday for some reason and I couldn't reply to anyone and I couldn't upload or post anything because the site would load for minutes and then I would either get a page that said that the connection had timed out, or I would get an Error page -_-**

**Anyways, thank you all SO MUCH for your continuous support of this story! *_* I can't say it enough, I really can't. **

* * *

The hall was in chaos, Aesir and the foreign ambassadors alike standing up and battling with all the weapons available to them—namely food and drink, the messier the better. Luckily nobody hat yet to pick up their chairs and use those.

Sometimes leaving your foes covered in sticky syrups was preferable to leaving them covered in bruises.

"For Asgard!" Thor whooped, upturning the dish of svinekoteletter in front of him so it covered the Aesir across the table. As they wiped the meat and vegetables off themselves and reached for the closest cuisine, Thor grabbed the plate of desserts that had yet to be eaten.

"I still owe you that krumkake, I believe," Thor said with a grin, handing a said cake to his brother, before sticking one in his own mouth and using the rest as projectiles.

"_STOP!" _

The entire hall froze, except for the food that was mid-flight, everyone looking to where the King of Asgard sat at the head of the great table.

Both the ambassador of the Light Elves and the ambassador of the Dark Elves had smashed lutefisk into the Dwarf ambassador's face at the same time, whilst the Vanir ambassador dumped sodd over the three of them in retaliation for getting pegged in the face with a platter worth of kjøttkakers.

They stared at the glowering Allfather, then their gazes flicked to each other.

They were all dripping with various soups and alcoholic beverages, splatters of whipped cream and meat sauces in their hair, on their clothes, and covering their faces.

Unsurprisingly the Light Elves started laughing first, followed closely by the Vanir, then the Aesir.

Odin's scowl changed to an expression of bewilderment as the hall of messy beings all began laughing; chuckling, snickering, or guffawing. The previously acrimonious ambassadors were now thumping one another on the back and grinning almost embarrassedly, passing each other semi-clean napkins.

Frigga hid her amusement behind a fair hand.

Odin set his jaw.

* * *

"Well, that could certainly have gone worse!" Loki said blithely, as he and Thor walked towards the Library, where Frigga had told them to wait.

Apparently they had lessons they needed to catch up on, since they hadn't had much time of late, what with being stuck in the Healing Rooms and then their punishments.

However Loki was pretty sure he'd heard something about there being some sort of surprise as well.  
Upon entering the Library Loki pulled a couple of tomes of the shelves and set them down heavily on the table, Thor groaning at the size of them.

"We don't have to read all of that do you we?" Thor asked sullenly, slumping and crossing his arms over his remarkably pristine outfit.

Both boys had gotten away from the food fight almost completely unscathed.

"Just the sections of import," Loki answered, sitting down next to his brother and opening one of the books, flipping to the index.

"You have a whipped cream mustache, by the way."

Thor wiped his mouth on his light blue sleeve.

"Still some on the left."

"Ugh, I don't care," Thor declared in annoyance, scooching closer to his little brother as to read over his shoulder.

"How do such dull scriptures hold your attention?" Thor inquired.

"I rather find them intriguing," Loki defended, turning his head to look his older brother in the eyes.

"And when—if—you're to become King, you'll need to know as much as you can about the histories of the Nine Realms."

Thor snorted skeptically.

"You aim to become King of Asgard, do you not?" Loki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Thor replied immediately.

"Well, there's more to being King than fighting battles," Loki pointed out. "Take what Father's doing now for example."

Thor blinked. "But Loki, that's what I'll have you for!"

Loki rolled his eyes at the ceiling and turned back to the tome. "Maybe. But I'm sure not going to be doing your homework for you. And just think how our professor would react did you not have it completed..." Loki trailed off.

"Meanie," Thor huffed, grabbing one of the books and dragging it across the wood table towards him. "What sections are we supposed to be studying again?"

* * *

Evening was just bluing the sheets of sunlight that streamed through the Library windows when Odin strode into the room.

"My sons," he greeted with a smile, putting his hands on their shoulders.

They tilted their heads up to look at him.

"Hello Father!"

"Come with me," Odin said, squeezing their shoulders slightly before letting go and nodding for them to follow him out the door. "I have a surprise for you."

"I knew it!" Loki murmured to himself as he and Thor got up and trailed the Allfather.

"What was that?" Odin questioned, turning to look at his youngest son.

"Me?" Loki said in confusion, glancing behind him. "I didn't say anything."

"What's the surprise?!" Thor beseeched eagerly, bouncing up and down beside Odin as the three of them walked down the golden hallways of Asgard.

"You'll have to wait and see," Odin chuckled.

* * *

Thor and Loki stood on the threshold of the Weapons Vault, eyes wide as they took in the dark stone hall lined with ancient relics.

"Once mankind accepted a simple truth; that they were not alone in this universe," Odin said, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. "Some worlds man believed home to their Gods. Others they new to fear. From around the cold and darkness came the Frost Giants. Threatening to plunge the mortal world into a new ice age. But humanity would not face this threat alone."

Thor and Loki listened raptly, as they walked next to their father, eyes flickering around the walls before landing on the Casket of Ancient Winters, the contents roiling with a glowing blue in front of them. The chilly air crept across their skin and down their spines, becoming more intense the closer they walked.

"Our armies drove the Frost Giants back into the heart of their own world. The cost was great. In the end, their king fell. And the source of their power was taken from them. With the last great war ended, we withdrew from the other worlds and returned home at the realm eternal, Asgard.

"And here we remain as the beacon of hope. Shining out across the stars. And though we have fallen into mans myths and legends, it was Asgard and it's warriors that brought peace to the universe."

Odin turned around to face his sons, taking in their open, wide-eyed stares.

"But the day will come when one of you will have to defend that peace," he stated matter-of-factly, the future looming behind his words.

"Do the Frost Giants still live?" Loki asked curiously, searching his father's face, though for what he wasn't sure.

Thor thought he saw a trace of fear cross his little brother's features, a shadow of the terror Loki's eyes held when he crawled in bed with Thor at night, whispering something about ice and blood.

"When I'm king," Thor interrupted, punching the air as he spoke, "I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all!" he turned his gaze from his little brother back to Odin.

"Just as you did, father."

He'd never let those _monsters_ harm his little brother, that he was sure of.

"A wise king, never seeks out war. But..." Odin paused, raising a finger pointedly as his eye flicked between his two sons; Loki's mouth pressed closed, Thor's lips slightly parted.

"He must always be ready for it."  
With that Odin started walking back towards the Weapons Vault's doors.

Thor and Loki glanced at each other, sharing a small, secretive smile, before turning at the same time and running to catch up with Odin.

"I'm ready, father," Thor proclaimed, grabbing Odin's right hand.

Loki took his left. "So am I."

Lying. But then, so was Thor. And he couldn't be left out, right?

Odin smiled down at the two of them. "Only one of you can ascend to the throne," He reminded them frankly.

"But both of you were born to be kings!"

Before they exited the Vault, Loki stole one last glance at the Casket, the blue glow reflecting red off his retina.

* * *

**Haha! I bet you weren't expecting THAT! XP (I couldn't help myself ;3 Although I do imagine the scene to be slightly different, especially with how they look, since in the movie they look more like twins and Loki is actually taller, whilst in this story Thor is definitely taller and older. And I think my Loki is a bit more rebellious and less eager to please...) **

**DISCLAIMER: So the bit that I took from the movie - I DON'T OWN IT! And I'm not trying to claim any sort of ownership of it! Please don't sue me! I make no money off of this! **

**Anyways... **

**As a reminder, THIS IS YOUR LAST REGULAR UPDATE FOR THE SUMMER. Sorry :/ But I hope you enjoyed it! (And there will most likely be updates during the summer, just not all that often.) **

_**In case you're curious: **_

_**Svinekoteletter is pork chops: simply braised and served with potatoes and fried onions or whatever vegetables are available. **_

_**Lutefisk is lyed fish: a modern preparation made of stockfish (dried cod or ling) or klippfisk (dried and salted cod) that has been steeped in lye.  
**_

_**Sodd is a traditional Norwegian soup-like meal with mutton and meatballs. Usually vegetables such as potatoes and/or carrots also are included.  
**_

_**K****jøttkakers are meatcakes: rough and large cakes of ground beef, onion and salt and pepper. Roughly the size of a child's fist. Generally served with sauce espagnol.** _

******_(Courtesy of Wikepdia. I've never had Norwegian cuisine.)_ **

******Please review and let me know what you think! ^.^**


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